


Imbalanced Spirits

by Sizarion



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blackwatch Genji, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Love, Cyborg Hanzo, Eventual Sex, F/M, Hand Jobs, Human Genji Shimada, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Inspired by Fanart, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Omnic Crisis, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Pre-Talon Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Revenge, Slow Burn, Young Genji Shimada, Young Hanzo Shimada
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2018-08-31 14:03:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 76,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8581369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sizarion/pseuds/Sizarion
Summary: Ignoring his duties and responsibilities as next in line for Master of the Shimada Clan, Genji refused to listen to Hanzo, who attempted to straighten him out. On orders of the clan, Hanzo was forced to kill Genji in a violent confrontation. However, what if the tables were turned? What if it had been Genji who prevailed against Hanzo on that fateful night?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> One of my first OW fanfics. This AU has been nagging my mind for quite some time and I've decided to write it out.
> 
> A huge thanks to Serinae for beta reading.

_“It is to defend and strike, not impress,”_

It was quite simple advice for fighting, really. However, Genji wasn’t really one to follow said advice. Instead, while his brother’s lips were forming words, Genji’s mind drifted elsewhere: that one-point difference between his #1 placement and the #2 placement on the highscore board of _Fighters of the Storm_ in the arcade, that cute girl with the lip piercing and blazing red hair (which was definitely dyed) who always waved at him as she biked past the main entrance to Shimada Castle, or the first slurp of smooth ramen served from Rikimaru Ramen Shop.

Whenever his eyes glazed over while focusing on such wonderful, carefree thoughts, Genji would be rewarded with a blow to his ribs by a hard wooden blade.

“Focus, Genji. Those can come later,” Hanzo said sternly, bonking the top of Genji’s head with the side of the blade.

“Ow! Was that really necessary?” Genji protested, rubbing the top of his head.

“With that blow, your wayward thoughts would fall out of your mind,” Hanzo defended with a small smirk.

“It would just leave me dazed and easier to fight,” Genji pointed out.

“Then don’t make it easy,” Hanzo simply said, raising his eyebrow as if it were obvious.

“A little difficult to do so when you’re seeing double… or triple,” Genji shot back.

“Then use your mind to figure out the copies,” Hanzo replied.

“I would if my mind wasn’t so focused on trying to steady itself,” Genji grumbled, raising his wooden sword nonetheless.

* * *

_“It is to defend and strike, not impress,”_

As of recently, Hanzo would repeat those words over and over again whenever Genji would make an attempt at a move that he had been trying to perfect in the past few weeks; the hurricane slash, where the individual would straighten his legs, twirling in the air at rapid speed to slice at the enemy’s body with quick, unpredictable slashes. Hanzo dismissed it as clumsy, unnecessarily flashy, and always prone to failure, but Genji insisted on practicing it.

“It will work someday, brother. Just you watch,” Genji promised.

Hanzo had rolled his eyes when realizing that his little brother was not going to give up so easily. So instead, Hanzo settled into a defensive stance, separating his feet from each other a little further before remaining at a small distance

“Very well. If you insist, then show me once more,” Hanzo prompted, gesturing to Genji. Confused, but elated nonetheless at the sight of his brother allowing it, Genji swung at Hanzo a few times, his blows easily parried, before Genji leapt high into the air and spun rapidly, angling his sword differently after each revolution. Hanzo blocked each slash, albeit with a little more difficulty than before. When Genji landed, Hanzo dealt a blow to the back of Genji’s knee, buckling it and causing the younger Shimada to fall flat on his back. Genji attempted to sit back up, only to meet the point of a wooden sword hovering in front of his face. He looked up to see Hanzo wearing a small frown.

“Once again, these techniques are to defend and strike, not impress,” Hanzo reminded before moving the wooden sword down to prod Genji’s shin.

“Ouch! Easy there, brother!” Genji remarked, wincing.

“You mask your stumbles well,” Hanzo acknowledged before shaking his head. “But you are so focused on spinning that upon landing, you trip over your own leg.”

Genji rubbed the back of his head sheepishly from Hanzo’s observations.

“I think with more spins, I have more opportunities to strike,” Genji reasoned.

“ _I_ think you’ll find your personal flair to be far less important with a blade in your heart,” Hanzo pointed out, raising an eyebrow as he prodded Genji’s chest with the sword.

“I know I can do this, Hanzo. I just need to jump higher,” Genji insisted, sitting up as he pushed the wooden blade aside.

“If you must use that ridiculous move, you must lower your spins,” Hanzo advised as he kicked Genji’s fallen sword towards its owner. Genji pouted his lower lip before reaching for the wooden blade.

* * *

 

Genji’s hand hovered over the katana uncertainly, his hand shaking.

“What are you waiting for, Genji? Take the blade!” Hanzo shouted furiously. Genji flinched at the intensity of his brother’s voice and the younger Shimada grasped the handle of the blade. Genji slowly stood up, holding the blade at an odd angle in front of him during the wake of his uncertainty.

“I don’t wish to fight you, Hanzo,” Genji declared as he lowered the sword. He hoped that saying his brother’s name would instill some uncertainty.

“I do not wish to as well…” Hanzo admitted, bowing his head as he settled into a battle stance. “But it is what must be done.”

“Brother, please…” Genji begged, shaking his head and backing up as Hanzo advanced on him. “I promise I will change, I will!”

“The clan deems it too late,” Hanzo spat, darting his head up and scowling malevolently. Such hate from his brother… The fear that Genji felt was unlike anything he had ever felt before… And he never, in his entire life, thought he would be so afraid towards his own brother.

His older brother then lunged forwards with his blade, forcing Genji to raise his own to block the slashes and dance back. The two brothers circled around each other in the castle gardens. Hanzo’s face was cold and collected, showing none of the hesitation or misgivings he had about his actions. In contrast, Genji’s face was stricken with confusion, his mind reeling as it tried to rationalize what was going on.

The clan had always tolerated his actions… What had changed? Was it because their father had died? Did they think that he would lead the clan alongside Hanzo? Or even inherit the clan from Hanzo someday? They must be joking. Him? The Master of the Shimada Clan?

Genji’s thoughts were interrupted as he ducked under Hanzo’s thrust before shoving his brother back with his shoulder. Hanzo slid back across the grass before pushing off from his left leg to lunge towards Genji. The young Shimada barely managed to avoid it, feeling the blade cut through his robe before he was knocked forwards as Hanzo dealt a kick to Genji’s lower back. Genji recovered quickly, getting to his feet and crouching low with his palm on the ground.

 _‘It is to defend and strike, not impress’_.

Genji nodded slowly and subtly as he remembered Hanzo’s words. This was a fight for his life, Hanzo would not stop and watch in awe. Genji knew that if he were to get out of here alive, he would have to focus on being practical here.

The two brothers remained at their ready stances, waiting for the other to make the first move. Apart from them, all that stirred in the faint moonlight was the gentle trickling of the pond and the rustling of the cherry blossom tree. Then, a powerful gust of wind blasted through the area, scattering many leaves of the tree to trickle all across the garden. With the broken silence and ending of the brief moment of serenity, the two brothers dashed towards each other, clashing blades.

“Enough of this, Hanzo! You must stop!” Genji said, gritting his teeth.

The blades scraped across each other as the each of the two brothers pushed their sword against the other. Hanzo said nothing, instead glaring at his younger brother as the two jumped back before locking blades once again.

“It is not too late to change your mind, brother!” Genji insisted, shaking his head before pushing Hanzo back and backing to a safe distance away. However, Genji saw that Hanzo remained unrelenting.

_‘It is to defend and strike, not impress.’_

Genji took a deep breath as he readied himself. If he could catch Hanzo by surprise, he could disable him and then retreat to… wherever is safe from the Clan. Figuring that out would come later. Right now, he would have to concentrate on this fight. Genji rushed towards Hanzo, faking a high swing before bending his knees and sliding past his brother. Skidding towards the cherry blossom tree, Genji leapt up from the grass and then planted both of his feet on the tree trunk before mustering all of the strength in his legs and pushing off to gain extra height.

Reaching the apex of his jump, Genji tucked his legs in front of him, grasping the hilt of his katana with both hands, hovering it by the side of his head with the blade angled downwards. Hanzo noticed the change and then pointed his sword towards Genji in the skies. The left sleeve of Hanzo’s robe turned into ashes as the tattooes on his left shoulder glowed brightly. From the tattooes, two blue spirit dragons coiled around his arm.

“ _Ryu ga waga teki wo kurau!!”_ Hanzo roared, slashing across the air in front of him. The twin spirit dragons bared their teeth and veered towards Genji, spiralling around each other.

Genji’s eyes widened in utter disbelief. Hanzo was going to unleash his dragons upon him? He was that intent on killing him? Genji tightened his lips and grimaced in frustration, knowing that there was only one way to stop those dragons from consuming him. If Hanzo was this determined to kill him… then maybe there was only one way to end this battle. The adrenaline pumping through Genji's body nulled his emotions and his thoughts, turning all his focus on conquering his opponent.

The tattooes on both of Genji’s shoulders glowed at the same intensity as Hanzo’s tattooes, leaving Genji with a sleeveless robe as they tore apart. A single green dragon circled around Genji’s shoulders before wrapping around his blade.

“ _Ryūjin no ken o kurae!_ ” Genji cried out, swinging his katana towards the two blue dragons. His own green dragon soared through the center of the twin dragon spiral before turning around and leading the pair back towards his brother.

Hanzo raised his sword, preparing to redirect the dragons before raising his head upon seeing Genji pass through the dragons and soar towards Hanzo. Genji spun rapidly, slicing at Hanzo at a different angle with each revolution. As before, Hanzo parried each strike.

_‘It is to defend and strike, not impress.’_

Genji suddenly stopped two revolutions early, crouching low and then jumping a small distance off of the ground to twirl rapidly to execute another hurricane slash. He felt his blade pass through cleanly and something warm splattered against his robe. Genji spun to a halt after he made a three-point landing to steady himself from spinning so many times. Panting quickly, Genji looked over his shoulder.

Hanzo’s head was bowed with his eyes closed, blood flowing from a long cut on his forehead down his cheeks and then dripping down from his chin. His katana was held loosely in his left hand. Streaks of red trailed from multiple cuts on his exposed shoulder, dripping onto the floor. The blue light emanating from the tattoos on his shoulder pulsated faintly before finally fading away. Then, his fingers loosened, the sword landing softly onto the reddening grass. Hanzo’s right arm was lying beside the koi pond, the hand twitching as the severed limb stained the clear water. The stump of Hanzo’s right arm, cut off a little above the elbow, waved around uncertainly as if it were trying to recollect itself after its loss. Hanzo’s robe was stained with red as the many lacerations across his body pumped out blood. The loss of so much, as well as the numerous cuts on his legs, caused Hanzo to fall to his knees.

The adrenaline was replaced by fear, but fear for a life other than his own. Genji immediately moved to his brother, catching him by the shoulders before Hanzo collapsed. Genji fought to keep himself calm, but his rapidly beating heart and shaking breath betrayed him.  

“H-Hanzo, i-it’s okay. The hospital’s just nearby,” Genji stammered, his eyes scanning the surrounding area before indecisively flitting his eyes to different cuts across Hanzo’s torso. He was no doctor, he couldn’t figure out which wound was more important. Amazingly enough, despite his grievous injuries, Hanzo gripped the collar of Genji’s robe tightly, pulling his brother in close.

“Genji… Go… while you… can…” Hanzo grunted, glaring at Genji.

“N-No! I can’t just leave you here!” Genji protested, shaking his head and shoving Hanzo’s hand away. “We just need to move you!”

Genji grabbed onto Hanzo’s arm, slinging it over Genji’s neck and attempting to lift Hanzo to  his feet. However, upon pulling at the arm, Hanzo let out a strained scream through his gritted teeth.

“It’s… It’s no use… Genji, go…Hanzo insisted. Genji opened his mouth to argue again before he sensed something approaching from behind. Genji looked over his shoulder with his hand on Hanzo's fallen sword.

Bright yellow light. And then wings. Genji squinted his eyes and raised his hand to shield them when a face emerged from the light. A young woman with shining blonde hair and smooth, pale skin. Was… Was it an angel? They couldn’t possibly exist, could they? No, of course not… An angel wouldn’t wear such an armored suit or have such wings… or wield such a staff. Genji cradled his brother’s head on his arm as Genji pointed his katana towards the approaching figure. The woman raised her hand reassuringly, keeping a respectable distance away and leaning over slightly as she examined Hanzo before aiming the point of her staff towards the pair.

Genji gripped the katana tightly before a stream of yellow light snaked out from the end and into Hanzo’s chest. As Genji prepared to strike, he stopped when he noticed that the blood flowing from Hanzo’s wounds was thinning out.

“I am a friend, I wish to help. I can save him,” the woman introduced, holding the beam steady as she rested her hand on her chest. Genji was suspicious of her intentions and the convenience of her arrival... But her voice… It was soft, almost melodic. It felt so reassuring and well-meaning… Looking at Hanzo, Genji knew that there was little time left. Genji decided to take the chance as he gently lowered Hanzo’s head onto the soft grass.

“Please… Do what you can for him…”


	2. Chapter 2

OverWatch. They were found by OverWatch. And not only were they found by OverWatch, the woman who had come to them was Doctor Angela Ziegler, a renowned surgeon and head of the medical division within OverWatch. Genji honestly couldn’t believe their fortune. To have Dr. Ziegler arrive when she had… It was nothing short of a miracle.

However, the lack of information on Hanzo’s condition irked him greatly. Because of their refusal to update him on his brother, Genji had attempted to enter the emergency room himself before he was unceremoniously shoved out right upon entering. Even though there was a wide window with a clear view of the room, Genji wanted to be there right at his brother’s side. Of course, he had tried to barge in again even after security was called down.

“I demand to see my brother!” Genji growled, clenching his fists tightly as he confronted the guard in front of the double doors. He didn’t care that the guard was two feet taller and clad in large metal armor. Not even the heavy-headed hammer the guard wielded had scared the young Shimada.

“I truly am sorry, my friend. But you must let them work,” the guard said regretfully.

“He is my _brother_!” Genji retorted.

“They need to concentrate,” the guard pointed out, shaking his head.

“But don’t I at least deserve the right to know if he is all right??” Genji exclaimed, prepared to punch the guard before deciding otherwise upon taking in the entire breadth of the massive knight. Genji snorted impatiently before deciding to make do with the large window. Genji pressed his forehead against the clear surface, watching the surgery at work.

Strangely enough, there was only one person in the room that was tending to the unconscious Hanzo, and that was Dr. Ziegler herself. A staff, the same staff she wielded upon first encountering them, was shooting a stream of yellow light into Hanzo’s chest, the staff held aloft by a mechanical arm that hung from the ceiling. She was focused on sealing up the many cuts across Hanzo’s chest. Genji bit his lower lip, feeling tears pool at the corners of his eyes upon seeing the metal plates strapped to Hanzo’s chest. How much damage had he done to his brother? If his brother did live through his injuries, how much would he change?

Dr. Ziegler reached her hand up and shifted the mechanical arm so that the staff was focused on Hanzo’s stump of an arm. Genji bowed his head, looking away for a moment. He let out a few shuddering breaths as he tried to keep himself under control before he raised his head and watched her intently, feeling his anxiety being put at ease at how calm and level-headed she was. She was slow and methodical, never stopping for one second to rest… Perhaps… there was hope…

However, the dread he felt came back when she reached down for something underneath the operating table and came back up, wearing a pair of heavy-duty goggles. Dr. Ziegler held a bundle of thin wires in one hand, along with a small, hooked tool in the other. Genji clenched his right hand tightly, resting it against his lips. He bit down hard on his knuckle, watching Dr. Ziegler bind several of the wires together. That ridiculous hurricane slash he performed was merely something he created absent-mindedly in a half-hearted training session. He never believed that he would use it in any situation and especially not against his own brother…

Genji narrowed his eyes, examining Hanzo lying on the table. A plastic tube trailed from the crook of his arm, steadily pumping blood into his body, while Dr. Ziegler worked on puncturing several wires into Hanzo’s stump arm. Genji closed his eyes, which stung from the tears streaking down his cheeks. He gritted his teeth, turning away from the window and leaning on the wall across from the glass. Genji pressed his forehead against the wall before bringing it back and bashing it against the surface. Pain flashed through his entire body, but his self-hatred was not yet sated.

Another bash against the wall. And then another. And another. Again and again. The pain he suffered from such blows, it was not close to satisfying him.

“My friend, you must stop!” the knight shouted, grabbing Genji by the shoulder and pulling him away from the wall. Genji attempted to shrug his shoulder away, but the knight’s hold was much too strong. “Your brother would not appreciate you beating yourself half to death!”

“Let me go!” Genji roared, his voice wracked with sorrow and anger as he struggled against the knight’s grip. The young Shimada collapsed onto his knees, his sobs catching in his throat when his shoulders suddenly seared with white-hot, unbearable pain. From within the emergency room, Hanzo screamed in his sleep, his left arm spasming sporadically. Genji clenched his shoulder blades together behind him, leaning back with his eyes shut tight from the sheer pain. The knight held Genji upright and then his hand faltered when Genji felt the pain fall away instantly, his muscles relaxing as cold air hit the bare skin on his shoulders. He doubled over, clawing at his shoulders and coughing onto the ground. Tears of both pain and grief dripped onto the floor as Genji lifted his shaking hand to clutch at the edge of the window. He attempted to pull himself up with much effort before he lost his grip and collapsed with his back against the wall underneath the window.

“Are you alright??” the knight asked concernedly, kneeling down beside Genji.

Genji clutched at the grey t-shirt given to him by OverWatch, his hand on his chest over his heart. If something… anything happened that changed Hanzo… Genji would never forgive himself. Leaning the back of his head against the wall to stare up at the ceiling, Genji closed his eyes, attempting to muster the strength to wait this entire matter out.

“Please… leave me be…” Genji murmured, attempting to steady his breath.

“Of… Of course,” the knight replied hesitantly, stepping away.

This had to be a horrible nightmare. Maybe if Genji opened his eyes, Hanzo would be standing in front of him, smacking him on top of the head with that wooden sword and reminding him of their sparring session that morning. Genji rubbed his eyes with his forearm and exhaled slowly. When Genji opened his eyes, he shakily got to his feet, turning around to look back into the operation room. Hanzo had settled down, though Dr. Ziegler had several leather straps pinning Hanzo to the operation table. Genji furrowed his brow and closed his eyes upon grasping the reality of the situation. It wasn't a dream. Refusing to look back into the room, Genji kept his head bowed, staring at the ground blankly. Then, Genji raised his head upon hearing the double doors opening to let an individual outside. Genji turned his gaze to observe the man. It was a young man in black, military-grade leather armor and with a cowboy hat on his head. On his shoulder was the logo of a horse skull with glowing red eyes, a black sword on its forehead, and surrounded by a red circle. Clenching his fists, Genji stormed over to the man.

“Howdy,” the man greeted, tipping the front of his cowboy hat towards Genji. “McCree, Jesse McCree.”  
“How did you get in there? Are you a doctor?” Genji demanded.

“Now that’s just plain rude,” Jesse remarked, frowning.

“I asked a question,” Genji pointed out.

“And I introduced myself,” Jesse replied, spinning his hat a little as he rested his hand on his belt buckle, grinding his teeth against the cigar in his mouth.

“Genji Shimada,” Genji said impatiently. “How did you-”

“Listen here, it’s not important. What’s important is that Doc says you can go inside now, partner. But she says not to-” Jesse announced before raising his hand exasperatedly when his words fell upon deaf ears as Genji shuffled past the knight and bashed open the doors with his shoulder to enter the emergency room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, I've been really busy with school and studying.


	3. Chapter 3

When Genji had barged into the room, Dr. Ziegler flinched violently at the door slamming open, dropping the clipboard in her hands. As she bent down to retrieve the clipboard, she raised an eyebrow at someone over Genji’s shoulder.

“Hey, look, doc. I tried telling him,” someone defended from behind Genji. Genji didn’t care who it was. Instead, he walked right up to Dr. Ziegler and grabbed her by the shoulders.

“How is he?” Genji asked desperately.

“He will be fine, though he should refrain from heavy muscle exertion for a few days in order to become accustomed to his new body,” Dr. Ziegler reassured, smiling a little at Genji. However, her words had the complete opposite intended effect on Genji.

“Accustomed? What do you mean?” Genji demanded, stepping around Dr. Ziegler before resting his hand over top of his mouth upon seeing Hanzo.

The first thing that caught Genji’s attention was Hanzo’s severed arm. Dr. Ziegler had crafted a sleek, light-grey metal arm to the end of Hanzo’s stump with the fingers twitching slightly, blue glowing lines across its surface. Moving his eyes to Hanzo's face, Genji saw that thin metal strips were welded onto the sides of Hanzo’s jawline and face, trailing up to his temples. Blue lights pulsated on his temples at a steady rhythm, much like a heartbeat. Genji averted his eyes from Hanzo’s face and looked to the rest of Hanzo’s body, only to gasp and then turn his head away from his brother.

Hanzo’s legs were completely replaced by cybernetic limbs from the knees down, glowing with the same light as Hanzo’s right forearm. A leathery material replaced the skin on Hanzo’s torso and neck alongside light plate armor covering his chest and upper left arm.

Genji did not expect this. It seemed that Hanzo’s wounds were far more extensive than Genji had thought. Genji gritted his teeth and rested his forehead against the edge of the operating table, fighting to keep himself strong. After all, it was what Hanzo would expect of him… but Genji could only contain so much. Genji unclenched his teeth to let out shuddering gasps before biting his lower lip to silence himself. How pathetic was he to break down like this in front of two strangers?

“He will recover soon, Mr. Shimada,” Dr. Ziegler reassured, resting a hand on Genji’s shoulder and prompting Genji to look behind at her. Jesse was also in the room, having the courtesy to keep a respectable distance away.

“Yeah. Least he’s still alive,” Jesse pointed out, pocketing his hands with his thumbs sticking out. However, he reeled his head back slightly when Dr. Ziegler glanced behind her to glare at him. “What? Just lendin’ a hand here, doc.”

“You are no longer needed here, Agent McCree,” Dr. Ziegler dismissed, nodding to him curtly. Jesse scratched the back of his head sheepishly, grimacing a little uncomfortably.

“Well… I was actually sent here to talk to both of them. Boss wants to see ‘em,” Jesse explained, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

“Who…?” Genji asked before Dr. Ziegler shook her head.

“Let the man rest. He has been through too much,” Dr. Ziegler said. Genji was inclined to agree with Dr. Ziegler; he needed to slow down and gather his bearings, clear his mind… But Genji was also curious as to who Jesse’s superior was, as well as why he wanted to see Genji and his brother.

“If you want to argue with the boss, go right on ahead,” Jesse replied, shrugging as he shifted his cigar to the side of his mouth. “It’s just a meeting, doc. Nothing special.”

“I’ll be there soon,” Genji said steadily before bowing his head. “But I wish some time alone with my brother first...”

“Of course,” Dr. Ziegler acknowledged, nodding understandably, though she did look visibly concerned with Genji’s decision. This only triggered more questions in Genji’s mind; Genji always remembered OverWatch to be noble and a respectable peacekeeping organization, so what was she worried about?

“Gotcha,” McCree added, tipping his hat to Genji before strolling out of the room with the doctor. Genji watched the two of them leave before turning back towards his unconscious brother. Intertwining his fingers with his brother’s metal fingers, the young Shimada pressed his forehead against the cold metal before Genji clamped his teeth onto his other hand to muffle his voice as Genji screamed in frustration. Something dripped from his hand, trailing from the dull pain that was throbbing underneath his teeth. But once again, the pain did not make Genji stop. In fact, he relished in the pain; such pain was absolutely nothing compared to the pain that Genji inflicted upon his brother.

Genji bit down harder onto his hand and grinded against it before his jaw unclenched itself when something smacked him on the top of his head. Opening his eyes slowly and looking up, Genji jumped as Hanzo slapped his younger brother on top of the head again.

“Let your troublesome thoughts fall out of your mind…” Hanzo whispered as he lowered his human hand to brush away Genji’s tears before resting the human hand on top of Genji’s hand holding onto the metal one.

“Brother, you should lie back down,” Genji advised before Hanzo shook his head.

“Don’t worry about me, Genji…” Hanzo reassured, shifting his hand down to rest on Genji’s shoulder. Hanzo closed his eyes with a furrowed brow, before looking back into his younger brother’s eyes. “Just do one thing for me…”

“Yes, brother. Anything,” Genji said, leaning in close as he gripped Hanzo’s metal hand tightly.

“I forgive you for what you did, but please… forgive yourself,” Hanzo pleaded, reaching down to gently grasp Genji’s bleeding hand. Genji lowered his face, staring at the floor. Hanzo’s words did lift much of the burden on Genji’s shoulders, but the young Shimada could not shake off the image of Hanzo lacerated body. The image of Hanzo’s arm twitching by the koi pond back at home burned in Genji’s mind, causing him to clamp his injured hand over top of his mouth, closing his watering eyes and gagging slightly. “Genji… Brother, please do not hurt yourself over this… It is not your fault…”

“It… I-It is,” Genji stuttered, his voice shaking.

“It is not,” Hanzo insisted before smacking Genji again. Genji hunched his shoulders and took comfort in Hanzo continuing his rather annoying habit. However, Genji still did not feel entirely reassured, unable to shake off the thought of Hanzo’s bloodied form and severed arm. “I said to let those troublesome thoughts fall out of your mind.”

“Most of them have fallen out… Thank you, Hanzo,” Genji murmured, raising his head and looking at his brother steadily. Hanzo nodded slowly, accepting Genji’s lie. Genji gently laid his brother’s hands onto the sides of the operating table. Genji slid his hand down Hanzo’s face to close Hanzo’s eyes before resting his palm on Hanzo’s forehead “I’ll be all right, brother. Just rest…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late, and quite short, chapter. Final exams are coming up, so updates may be slow.


	4. Chapter 4

Genji clasped his hands together tightly, pressing his lips against his knuckles. He had to remain composed in front of Jesse’s superior. From what Genji could deduce, Jesse’s superior wasn’t one to easily empathize with personal problems.

“Hey, partner. You seem a little antsy,” Jesse pointed out, looking over his shoulder.

“I’m fine,” Genji reassured, forcing a small smile.

“That so? You definitely got a handle on the situation,” Jesse said, taking out a cigar as he stopped and turned around to face Genji, tilting his head downwards. Genji looked down to see his bloodied knuckles. Genji hunched his shoulders sheepishly, closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly.

“I said I’m fine,” Genji insisted, opening his eyes to look back at Jesse.

“Whatever you say, partner. Hope your brother talked some sense into ya. You two seem to be pretty close,” Jesse grunted, lighting his cigar and taking a puff. Genji bowed his head at this remark. Apparently not close enough to question a fight to the death. Genji’s bloodied hand clenched tightly, reopening the torn skin on his knuckles and trickling thin streams of red across his fingers. Genji then jumped, his fingers loosening upon hearing an audible click from seemingly nowhere. Genji looked around in confusion, hearing the click once again. He then turned to see Jesse flip down the lid of his lighter to emit the same click. Genji winced as Jesse clicked the lid open with his thumb.

“Can you stop that?” Genji murmured through gritted teeth.

“What, this?” Jesse asked, clicking the lid closed. Genji’s lips tightened, closing his eyes as his temple throbbed from the incessant clicking. “‘Fraid not, partner. It’s a stress thing.”

Genji said nothing, taking a few deep breaths to clear his mind. He had to keep a level head for this meeting to stop himself from saying anything out of turn. However, Jesse’s lighter did not help matters in the slightest, building up Genji’s anger with each subsequent click. Genji forced himself into silence for the rest of the journey, finding his patience quickly wearing thin as Jesse continued to play with his lighter. It was only until they reached their destination that Jesse pocketed it.

“Here we are,” Jesse said, gesturing to the corresponding door. “Boss should be here soon.”

“Hm,” Genji grunted, veins pulsing in his temples. Clearly his anger hadn’t faded away. He would have to restrain himself for this meeting. Jesse inputted a five-digit code into the keypad near the door before stepping back as the panel processed the code. A green light flashed in approval, the door sliding open in response. Jesse gestured for Genji to enter. Genji took one last deep breath before walking in slowly. Genji observed a single table in the middle of the empty room along with two chairs, one behind the middle of each long side. Genji approached the table, eyeing the object on the table.

It was an Oni mask with glowing red horns on the temples and short tusks on the ends of the jawline. The ivory teeth were bared in a sinister smile, the black pupils staring unblinkingly back at Genji. Something deep within Genji told him that this mask was for him to wear. Genji’s hand hovered over the mask, reaching for it before the doors slid closed behind him. Genji turned around to face the door. A man wearing an armored hoodie of some kind was standing before Genji, his arms crossed. A dark grey beanie to match the hoodie, the man had a most unpleasant scowl on his face, the intimidation factor further emphasized by the Van Dyke beard he sported. More notably, the man’s right shoulderpad had the same horse skull symbol as Jesse. However, Genji was too focused on restraining his anger to be afraid. Jesse was off to the side, still puffing away at his cigar. He had his back turned to them, thus Genji assumed that this meeting was only relevant between him and the bearded man.

“Mr. Shimada?” the bearded man asked.

“Yes,” Genji replied curtly, meeting the man’s gaze steadily..

“Hm,” the man grunted, stepping around the young Shimada. The man brushed the ends of his fingers along the surface of the table before he suddenly bowed to Genji.

Now this was completely unexpected. He expected the man to shake his hand at the most, but Genji certainly did not expect the man to use the Japanese greeting. Knowing how disrespectful it was to ignore it, Genji gave a hesitant bow to the man in return. Genji felt his shoulders relax a little as the two of them straightened. “Take a seat.”

Genji complied, sitting down onto the chair with his back straight and stiff. The man took the only other chair, which was across from Genji’s, resting his forearms on the table as he stared at Genji. Jesse stood by the man’s right, his thumbs tucked into his pockets. With the relatively clear table, positioning of the chairs, and the single light source from the ceiling, Genji felt that this was more like an interrogation than a meeting. Genji looked down, staring down at the Oni mask. The red eyes glowed rhythmically at a steady beat.

“Gabriel Reyes,” the bearded man introduced before crossing his arms. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“No. I do not,” Genji admitted, shaking his head. Gabriel leaned back against his chair, exchanging looks with Jesse before he looked back at Genji.

“Not going to sugar-coat it here. We need your help,” Gabriel explained, leaning back forwards.

“What do you need my help for?” Genji demanded. What could he possibly help with? They were better off asking his brother for help. He was the one who had much more to contribute to OverWatch.

“We only found you, because we already had a team stationed in Hanamura to investigate your family’s activities. Call it luck, coincidence, I don’t really care,” Gabriel explained before resting his right elbow on the table and pointing to Genji with the end of the finger hovering in front of Genji’s nose. “We were in Hanamura, because the Shimada Clan’s been stirring up a  lot of trouble in the black market. You were part of the Clan. Hell, you were one of the goddamn heirs.”

Genji exhaled sharply, clearly displeased with this. He wanted nothing to do with his clan’s activities. He wanted to stay as far away from them as possible.

“I have nothing to offer you,” Genji replied. Gabriel stared at Genji, saying nothing and betraying none of his emotions in his scowl. Genji held his gaze, standing up from the chair before turning his back on the OverWatch soldier to leave the room.

“Before you leave... Answer this question,” Gabriel called out. Genji halted in his step.

“Who was responsible for your brother’s injuries?” Gabriel asked slowly. Unable to restrain himself, Genji whirled around, storming up to the table and slamming the palms of his hands against the table. Genji leaned forwards, snarling at Gabriel.

“It was me!” Genji screamed right in Gabriel’s face, who didn’t even flinch in the slightest. Jesse, on the other hand, was startled, dropping his cigar onto the floor as Genji slapped his hands against the table. “I was attacked by my own brother and I was forced to fight back for my life! I almost killed him, because I did not try to find another way!”

“Why did he attack you?” Gabriel asked calmly.

“My brother was ordered by the Shima-” Genji snapped before he stopped himself.

Of course, how could he have been so stupid? It was neither himself or Hanzo who had started the fight between them. Yes, his brother followed the order, while Genji himself mortally injured his brother instead of merely disabling him. Though, his own guilt over nearly killing his brother had clouded his mind, but now Genji realized that there was only one real reason for forcing their hands. “The… The Shimada Clan.”

“That’s right,” Gabriel acknowledged, seeing that Genji was catching on.

Genji clenched his fists, his vision starting to blur as his head pounded from all the rage building up inside of him. Their fight was triggered by their own family. Genji growled under his breath upon reaching this revelation. While Gabriel nodded in self-satisfaction, Jesse looked less than reassured, glancing over his shoulder at his superior uneasily. Genji looked up to see Gabriel sliding forwards the Oni mask towards Genji. With renewed purpose and fueled by burning hatred, Genji stared into the unblinking eyes, raising the mask in his hand before looking up at Gabriel. Genji nodded once.

“Welcome to the team, Agent Shimada,” Gabriel announced, standing up and holding his hand out. Genji gripped the hand tightly, shaking it firmly. The Oni mask stared up lifelessly at the hands, grinning as if in approval of Genji’s decision.

* * *

 

Heavy. Everything felt so heavy. Hanzo could not muster the effort to sit up, leaving his head to rest against the pillow. He squinted towards the bright lights shining above him, raising his hand in front of his eyes. Hanzo always prided himself as being the more level-headed of the brothers, but he was unable to keep his composure.

Hanzo had to be strong and not display any emotional weakness, to serve as an example to his younger brother in the hopes that Genji would follow his footsteps, which was why Hanzo held himself together when his brother was here. Genji was so vibrant and full of life… To see him so emotionally broken was almost too heartbreaking to see. Hanzo quietly sobbed into his hands. He pushed Genji too far; he had forced him to fight his own brother and almost kill him. Hanzo was not one to shed tears easily… but now his eyes welled up as he thought back only a week ago before their lives had forever changed with this fight.

Their sparring sessions, their feasts at Rikimaru Ramen Shop, Genji’s failed attempts to get Hanzo with the girls around town, the few moments that Genji managed to convince Hanzo to come to the arcade… All such wonderful times… Hanzo remembered how wide Genji had smiled during those times, how much he gushed about the different arcade games, how much he playfully teased Hanzo about the girls, and how lively he was... 

‘ _ Do not give into your emotions. The clan is unforgiving to any weakness,’ _

Hanzo forced himself to take deep breaths, wiping away his tears as he recalled his father’s last words. He needed to regain his composure and decide where his next steps would take him. It was clear that he could not return to Hanamura… Or even journey back to Japan, for that matter. The Shimada Clan’s influence stretched across the country; assassins would be sent after him. Nonetheless, Hanzo had to stay close to Genji, for he feared that the Shimada Clan would make an attempt on his life themselves. 

But for now, he had to stay here under the safety of OverWatch, though Hanzo did feel uncomfortable that he was now under the protection of an organization his own clan opposed. Hanzo wondered whether any of his actions had hindered OverWatch operations… Or done far worse to their agents.... Hanzo stared down at his hands, thinking back on the individuals he had killed in the name of the Shimada Clan. Were any of them OverWatch agents? There was no use in hiding behind his actions, his own last name exposed his association with the crime family. Hanzo closed his fingers and gripped them tightly, knowing that these very hands had spilled innocent blood. He was prepared to accept the consequences; it was the only way for him to atone for his actions.

A metal plate on his right forearm swung open, unsheathing a small blade, before closing shut to leave the small blade jutting out over his hand. Hanzo tilted his arm to examine the small sword sticking out from his forearm, before glancing over to his shoulder. What was the purpose of this blade? Were… Were they going to ask him to help them? Hanzo shook his head to himself before his left shoulder stung sharply, causing Hanzo to wince and grip his shoulder. In the wake of the pain, Hanzo had managed to lift himself up from the pillow, sitting up. Looking over, Hanzo’s eyes widened as he slowly raised his hand.

The winding dragon tattoo had disappeared, leaving behind smooth and unmarked skin. Hanzo rested the back of his hand against his forehead, closing his eyes and breathing slowly to calm himself. It was only a matter of time before the dragons have deemed him unworthy. Thinking back, Hanzo recalled summoning them during his fight against his brother… Though a Shimada could control the dragons, they still remained bonded to their hosts. Hanzo did not feel the same strength imbue him as the first time he summoned his dragon. In that fight, his own dragons, combined with Genji’s, had drained much of his energy, preventing him from effectively defending against Genji’s attack. Turning against his own brother must have been the defining action that prompted their change of allegiance. Hanzo nodded slowly, acknowledging this revelation. Hanzo accepted his spiritual solitude, pressing the palms of his hands and fingers against each other with his head bowed. However, such punishment was not enough to make up for his actions against his own brother… He took a deep breath as he opened his eyes to see Dr. Ziegler enter the room, examining notes on a clipboard. 

“Good morning, Mr. Shimada. How are you feeling today?” she asked, not looking up  

Hanzo looked down at his hands for a moment, collecting his thoughts. The blade on his right forearm shined under the bright ceiling lights and Hanzo averted his eyes from the short sword.

“I am managing...” Hanzo said slowly.

“Hm,” Dr. Ziegler murmured, tilting her head to the side as she examined Hanzo closely. The intensity of her stare unnerved him, feeling as if her eyes were looking into his mind to discern his true emotions. “And how are you really feeling?” 

“I said I am fine,” Hanzo insisted, meeting her gaze steadily. Dr. Ziegler’s eyebrow twitched upwards as she looked back down on her clipboard. 

“Very well, Mr. Shimada,” she acknowledged before glancing behind her at the door and nodding to someone outside the one-way window. “Someone here wishes to see you.”

Hanzo brought his right forearm in, resting his left hand over top of the blade as someone entered the operation room. It was a man in his youthful prime with swept-back blonde hair, strong jawline, and an admittedly charming smile. Hanzo recognized the man, having seen him at the forefront of so many OverWatch posters.

“Hanzo Shimada, pleased to meet you. I’m-” the man introduced, holding his hand out. 

“I know who you are, Commander Morrison,” Hanzo interrupted, bowing his head in greeting before shaking the man’s hand. “You are well known across Japan.”

“I suppose my reputation precedes me, right?” Commander Morrison remarked before catching sight of the blade underneath Hanzo’s left hand. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here.” 

“It is obvious, is it not?” Hanzo replied. “You wish for my help against my own clan.” 

Commander Morrison bowed his head and sighed, his smile falling away, as he took a seat across from Hanzo. 

“Look, Mr. Shimada… Hanzo. The world’s recovering from the Omnic Crisis, but there’s still dangers that want to shatter the peace OverWatch helped bring to this world,” Commander Morrison explained. “It’s not just your clan, there’s other threats that we could use your help for. The world could always use more heroes.”

Hanzo lowered his head to look upon the blade resting underneath his left palm. A hero? Hanzo contemplated this word. It was definitely not a word he would associate with himself… He had done too much wrong to this world to be given the honour of that title.

“No… I cannot help,” Hanzo said steadily. 

“And why is that?” Commander Morrison pressed, shaking his head. Hanzo sighed heavily, closing his eyes.  

“I have grown weary of fighting,” Hanzo murmured, his shoulder sagging before raising his left hand from the blade and letting it rest at his side. There was a slight pause.

“I understand. That time comes for everyone eventually,” Commander Morrison replied, causing Hanzo to dart his head up in surprise. “But you don’t need to fight to be part of OverWatch.”

“Indeed?” Hanzo prompted, looking at Commander Morrison.

“Of course. We could use more non-combatants in our ranks,” Commander Morrison replied, briefly glancing in Dr. Ziegler’s direction. Hanzo considered this offer carefully.

“I… I need to think on this,” Hanzo decided, prompting Commander Morrison to nod.

“Take your time,” Commander Morrison reassured before resting his hand on Dr. Ziegler’s shoulder as he passed by, giving her a knowing look. Meanwhile, Hanzo looked down at the blade before averting his eyes from his forearm, his mind shadowed with the image of Genji’s fearful face before a steel blade that shone in the moonlight. Hanzo shook his head numbly, his lower lip quivering.

“No…” Hanzo breathed, closing his eyes. 

“I beg your pardon?” Dr. Ziegler replied, furrowing her brow at him. She jerked her head back as Hanzo held his metal forearm out towards her.

“I wish to have this removed,” Hanzo requested, gesturing to the blade.

“And why is that?” Dr. Ziegler said, staring at the shining blade pointed at her face.

“I do not need such weapons,” Hanzo declared, lowering his arm upon seeing her unnerved.

“But… What if you were attacked one day?” Dr. Ziegler pointed out.

“Then I will accept whatever comes,” Hanzo replied before clenching his fist and bowing his head to her. “Dr. Ziegler, I apologize for any inconvenience, but please grant this request.”

Dr. Zeigler rested the tip of her pen against her lips, staring at him intently and then examining her clipboard before nodding slowly as she turned her back to him to examine her medical tools.    
“Very well, Mr. Shimada,” Dr. Ziegler sighed, turning back to Hanzo with a long screwdriver of sorts. Hanzo raised his forearm, allowing Dr. Ziegler to lean her head in close to tinker with his blade. He found himself soothed by her meditative calmness, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. However, he was snapped out of his trance when Dr. Ziegler pried off a metal plate from his arm. Though he did not feel any pain, it felt as though something was being peeled off of his skin. Hanzo involuntarily winced upon a second plate being pried off, causing Dr. Ziegler to accidentally scrape against his metal arm with the screwdriver. 

“My apologies...” Dr. Ziegler muttered. 

“The apology is mine. I will try to stay still,” Hanzo insisted, shaking his head before finding a great weight lift from his shoulders upon seeing Dr. Ziegler detach the blade from his forearm. He breathed out slowly in relief, bowing his head. Dr. Ziegler noticed this after laying the blade down on the table and repairing his arm to accommodate for the missing blade and metal plates.

“A man of your past, you should have no trouble using weapons. Why change?” Dr. Ziegler pointed out before turning her head away upon seeing Hanzo stare at her silently. “I… I apologize, I did not mean to pry.” 

Hanzo hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should open up to her before he shook his head, deciding to give an evasive answer.

“I… I have caused enough pain in the world, doctor,” Hanzo sighed, bowing his head.

“I see…” Dr. Ziegler replied as she closed off the opening on his metal arm. ‘There, that should do it.” 

Hanzo stood up from the bed, much to Dr. Ziegler’s surprise. She rested her curled hands on her collarbone, stepping away from Hanzo. Straightening his back with some struggle, he pressed the palms of his hands together in front of him, bowing low to her. Hanzo almost keeled over with his head spinning, unfamiliar with his new body, but not wanting to let his gratefulness go unmentioned.

“You have my sincerest gratitude,” he said, staying low. Dr. Ziegler rested her hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look up. 

“Stand straight, Mr. Shimada,” she advised before shifting her hand from his shoulder to his chest. “I advise against sudden movements like that.”

“Of course, I only wished to-” Hanzo acknowledged, straightening his back to comply with Dr. Ziegler’s words. 

“Your gratitude has not gone unnoticed. Thank you,” Dr. Ziegler reassured, smiling at him. Hanzo stared blankly, entranced by such a radiant smile before he turned his head abruptly, not in respect but in embarrassment. 

“I… Thank you,” he said weakly before turning towards the door. He made the mistake of looking over his shoulder at her. “I must go to...meditate.”

“Of course,” Dr. Ziegler replied, nodding with that same smile. “Do try to stay near the facility.”

Hanzo nodded absent-mindedly before shaking his head and hoping that he wasn’t being uncivil with his blank, mesmerized stares. Giving a shaky, hesitant bow to her, he cleared his mind with… much difficulty and walked briskly out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my friends mentioned an interesting theory where Genji's Oni Skin would be something he would wear if he ever joined BlackWatch, and I thought that it was a very interesting theory, so I had to add it in here.


	5. Chapter 5

Genji growled in frustration as he recovered to his feet, using his katana as support to push himself up. He rolled his left shoulder, which was still aching from the projectile that flew into it. Genji held his sword out in front of him, ignoring the stinging pain at certain points on his body. Facing him from across the room was a turret, loaded with small pellets and primed to fire. Genji studied the barrel of the turret, estimating its target and then readying himself. A ring of smoke puffed out from the end of the turret, signifying a pellet fired. Genji shifted his sword up and managed to slice the pellet in half. The turret shifted ever so slightly to the right, prompting Genji to act accordingly to block the second pellet.

“Wrong!”

The exclamation broke Genji’s concentration once again, causing him to wince and allowing a third pellet to hit his side. Clutching his ribs as the turret powered down as two whistled notes sounded clearly. Genji fell onto one knee, panting heavily through the Oni mask that he was wearing. Despite the mask, visibility was not an issue… The real issue was his trainer. Genji turned to face the trainer, his malevolent scowl hidden by the mask’s wide smile.

“You are to _deflect_ those bullets,not _cut_ or _stop_ them,” his trainer said curtly.

His trainer was wearing heavy metal armor, resembling an English knight in similar fashion to the large guard whom Genji had encountered outside of the operation room. However, this particular knight was significantly smaller, matching Genji in height. A horse skull surrounded by a red circle was emblazoned on the chest plate. The knight drew a large broadsword from a sheath at his hip, pushing Genji out of the way.

“Angle your blade towards your attacker,” the knight advised, tilting the side of the blade to face it towards the turret before lowering the sword and stepping away. Genji felt a vein pulsate in his temple as he fought to keep his temper in check.

“It is impossible,” Genji muttered. “You cannot redirect a bullet back at its owner.”

The knight turned his helmet to stare at Genji before whistling underneath his helmet. The turret raised its barrel, taking aim before firing three quick, successive shots. The knight swiftly swept his blade through the air, easily blocking all three shots. Genji turned towards the turret to find three white marks on its surface, signifying that his trainer had indeed returned the pellets back to its sender.

“Again,” the knight ordered, stepping back to allow Genji to take place in front of the turret once again. Genji exhaled slowly, closing his eyes to calm himself, before opening them to ready himself once again. The turret launched two shots. Genji tilted his blade and held the side of his katana in the path of the pellet before smoothly transitioning his blade to intercept the second pellet. Two white blotches appeared behind the turret. Genji lowered his sword, nodding slightly to himself.

“Hm…” his trainer said thoughtfully, brushing his gauntleted hand along the white blotch. “Not bad. You’re definitely starting to improve.”

Genji bowed to his trainer, as was courtesy for accepting compliments, before readying himself for the next round. Regardless of his trainer’s growing respect and Genji’s slow improvement, Genji still felt frustrated with himself, knowing that he still had so much more to learn. Why hadn’t he just attended Hanzo’s training sessions instead of heading off to the Arcade? The tradeoff seemed rather pathetic in hindsight. As the turret prepared to fire, Genji jumped upon hearing a familiar voice cry out from the door.

“Genji, what are you doing??” Hanzo demanded, a mixture of confusion and anger. The turret powered down as Hanzo stormed over to his brother.

“It is just training,” Genji replied, bowing his head to greet Hanzo. Hanzo furrowed his brow, taking a step forwards and resting his hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.

“That is not an answer,” Hanzo pointed out, shaking his head. Genji’s trainer sheathed his sword, facing Hanzo.

“You are interrupting a training session, Mr. Shimada,” the knight said.

“Who are you?” Hanzo demanded, glaring at the knight.

“This is my trainer, Jantis Wiegand… I can explain,” Genji explained before resting his hand on the knight’s shoulder. “I request some time alone with my brother.”

The knight paused for a moment.

“We are finished for today, Agent Shimada. We can continue again tomorrow,” the knight decided, nodding and walking away to allow the brothers some space. Hanzo turned to face his brother, shaking his head in disbelief. Only an hour ago, Genji was wearing a simple t-shirt and pants. But now, his attire was drastically different: a black metal chestplate and gauntlets with red spikes on the shoulders and elbows, a dark grey scarf wrapped around Genji’s neck, a large medallion belt with a dark green cloth tied around Genji’s hips, black trousers tucked into sleek leather boots with metal kneepads and the same red spikes on the back of the shins. The medallion had a symbol of a horse’s skull, surrounded by a red circle. The hilt of the sheathed sword strapped to Genji’s back had the glowing red Kanji letter for _‘Dragon’_. In short, Genji looked as if he was always a member of OverWatch.

“Genji, what is the meaning of this? Agent Shimada?” Hanzo demanded, tapping the medallion.

“I am training, brother,” Genji replied.

“That is not all,” Hanzo pressed, shaking his head and gesturing to the medallion again. “What is this symbol?”

“It is a small division within OverWatch,” Genji dismissed, shrugging. “It is nothing official.”

“What is this division?” Hanzo insisted. Genji considered his next words carefully. His brother could not know the true reason for his joining of OverWatch or else he may… Genji was not sure what his brother would do, but it would certainly hinder his goal of ultimately confronting their clan. Commander Reyes was awfully unspecific in what the symbol represented. What little that Commander Reyes had explained was all that Genji could provide for his answer.

“It… It is a special operations team,” Genji said slowly, nodding. “That is all I know, brother. I am sorry.”

“Genji, you must think carefully on these-” Hanzo started.

“For all we know, the Shimada Clan has declared both of us dead. They will not bother us any longer,” Genji pointed out before raising his right hand and clenching it. “I am capable of making my own decisions, brother.”

“I don’t doubt that, but whether they are the right decisions…” Hanzo replied.

“They are, brother. Trust me on this,” Genji reassured, taking Hanzo’s metal hand and holding it between his own two hands. Genji could tell his older brother was struggling to come to terms with this. Resting the metal hand on Hanzo’s chest, Genji tapped his index and middle finger on the center of Hanzo’s forehead. “Let those troublesome thoughts fall out of your mind, brother. I made a promise to them; the Shimada Clan is behind me, as they always have been.”

Though Genji knew that Hanzo might be a bit skeptical on this lie, he knew that mentioning his continued ignorance of the Shimada Clan’s operations would reassure Hanzo. His brother’s shoulders sagged a little before he nodded slowly.

“Just… Do not take any unnecessary risks, Genji,” Hanzo murmured under his breath before looking steadily at his younger brother in the eyes. “Remember-”

“It is to defend and strike, not impress,” Genji interrupted, repeating Hanzo’s advice. Now that he was part of OverWatch and his goal to confront the Clan, such words held much more weight. Genji forced a smile, patting Hanzo’s shoulder. “I remember, brother. Do not worry yourself.”

Hanzo returned Genji’s smile, though it looked much more genuine.

“You’ve grown much, Genji,” Hanzo praised before eyeing the turret that was powered down. “I see you’re already busy with taking that advice to heart.”

“Ah, yes. Jantis has been teaching me how to deflect bullets,” Genji explained, nodding as he unsheathed his sword and tilted it to indicate the white blotches on the blade.

“Impossible,” Hanzo remarked, shaking his head.

“You said the same thing about my little hurricane slash, brother,” Genji pointed out with a grin before eyeing Hanzo’s metal arm and chest. Genji bowed his head, hunching his shoulders in shame. “I… I apolo-”

“Genji, do not worry yourself,” Hanzo reassured, turning to leave. “I hope that your training goes well… Impossible as it seems.”

“Stay safe, brother,” Genji said, raising his hand in farewell as his older brother left the room. His forced smile quickly fading away, Genji turned towards the turret, his sword held loosely in his hand. Genji paused for a moment, remembering his trainer’s words. Genji then whistled a two-note call, reactivating the turret. Raising his katana in both hands, Genji breathed in slowly, narrowing his eyes as he watched the turret’s barrel carefully. Then, it fired three pellets in quick succession at different angles. As Genji prepared to deflect them, a familiar click sounded, throwing off his concentration. Genji brought his arms in close as the three pellets smashed against his body.

“Agh!” Genji choked out, clutching the points of impact before shaking his shoulders and then searching the room. Jesse was lounging with his feet propped on top of a table, teetering precariously on the back legs of a chair. Jesse flipped his lighter open and then closed, making the same clicking sound.

“That looked like it hurt,” Jesse remarked as he held a smoking cigar in between his left index and middle finger.

“What do you want, Agent McCree?” Genji grunted, running his index finger down the side of his blade to wipe off the white paint from the pellets he previously blocked.

“Come on, Gen. We ain’t on a mission right now,” Jesse remarked, tipping his hat in greeting as he leaned forward to get all four legs of his chair on the floor. Much to Genji’s relief, Jesse had thankfully pocketed his lighter. “Outside of duty, it’s Jesse.”

“What are you doing here?” Genji demanded, rolling his shoulders before whistling the same two notes to turn the turret on.

“Just checking up on you,” Jesse replied, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side as Genji lowered himself closer to the ground as he settled into a ready stance. “I mean, we are partners, after all.”

“We are merely working for the same group,” Genji dismissed, focusing on the turret’s barrel to determine its target. However, he turned and pointed his blade right at his fellow agent when Jesse whistled two notes, powering down the turret. “What are you doing?”

“Woah there,” Jesse warned, raising his hand in front of the tip of the sword. “Look here, Gen, you’ve been through alot lately. You need to take it easy.”

“Taking it easy will not help me defeat my clan,” Genji snapped back, lowering the katana to let it rest at his side.

“No, but going after them half-dead ain’t gonna help ya,” Jesse replied as he tapped his cigar to the side to let some ashes fall. “Hey, I know something that’ll cheer ya up.”

“I very much doubt that,” Genji scoffed, whistling two notes to get the turret back on.

“Big fan of drinking?” Jesse remarked with a small grin, biting on his cigar.

Genji stared at Jesse, not sure on how to respond to this. The offer of alcohol made him reminisce upon the times when he would venture off from the Shimada Castle and drink to his heart’s content. Genji admitted that he was tempted to accept Jesse’s offer. Then, he remembered that it was giving into that very temptation in the past that had caused all of these recent events to happen. Genji merely shook his head, grimacing slightly upon recalling his misspent youth.

“Not anymore,” Genji said slowly, readying himself for the turret. It fired two pellets, which Genji anticipated the best he could and maneuvered his blade to deflect the pellets into the wall behind the turret. Cursing under his breath, Genji prepared for another pair of projectiles.

“Gen, you’ve been at this for a while,” Jesse insisted, whistling the two notes to shut down the turret. “Come on, when did one drink ever hurt anyone?”

“One drink can lead to another five,” Genji snapped back, staring at the offline turret with a burning glare as he gripped his sword tightly, fuming to himself. However, his annoyance was not directed towards Jesse’s incessant behaviour, but rather his own inability to leave behind his old habits. Even now, Genji found the one drink plus five to be enticing.

“Hey, Gen. Will this change your mind?” Jesse asked, prompting Genji to turn around. Jesse was waving a liquor bottle in his hand with two other glasses held in the other hand. Genji was unable to prevent himself from looking away from the bottle’s label, leaning his head in to examine the bottle closely.

“Awamori? How… How did you…?” Genji breathed, his anger quickly falling away to be replaced with bewilderment and curiosity.

“I admit, I ain’t a fan of this kind of stuff, but I’ll make an exception this time,” Jesse admitted, raising the bottle in hand and examining it before shaking his head and whistling. “48%. Ain’t never gone that high.”

“Wait… 48%?” Genji asked, sheathing his sword and approaching Jesse to look over his shoulder. Genji pulled his mask away from his face, setting it down onto a table.

“Yeah, partner. That’s what it says here,” Jesse acknowledged, raising the bottle to Genji’s eye level before pouring himself a glass and taking a sip. Jesse shook his head abruptly, pursing his lips. “Woo wee, now that is strong.”

“How… How old is that?” Genji asked, watching as Jesse filled the second glass. The cowboy held the glass out to Genji, who hovered his fingers towards the glass uncertainly.

“Twenty three years,” Jesse replied. Upon hearing that number, Genji grabbed the glass and downed the drink quickly, unable to restrain himself. Inhaling sharply and tilting his head to the ceiling, Genji closed his eyes, finding much to his delight that it was brown sugar Awamori. Genji relished in the sweet taste, finding comfort in imagining himself back in Hanamura at the Rikimaru Ramen shop.

“Wow, you sure ain’t a lightweight,” Jesse commented, pouring himself a second drink and snapping Genji out from his daydream.

“Can’t handle this?” Genji grunted with a small smirk.

“Oh hell, I ain’t backing down from a challenge or my name ain’t Jesse McCree,” Jesse replied, jerking his thumb towards himself and pouring a second drink. Setting the bottle down, Jesse’s eyes watered slightly as he drank from his glass, stomaching the sweet and bitterness. “Give me a minute… I need to get… Oof, damn! How do you drink all this?”

“It… It takes practice,” Genji replied hesitantly, tilting his glass away when Jesse held the bottle towards the Shimada. Jesse shook his head, rolling his eyes.

“Come on, Gen. Admit it, you need this,” Jesse remarked, pouring Genji his second drink. The cowboy then set the bottle down, leaning back precariously on the back legs of his chair to drink his fill.

Genji stared down at the clear liquid. He wasn’t sure if it was the buzz from the last cup or merely his old habits resurfacing, but seeing the alcohol slosh around in his glass and taking in the distinctly strong scent… A small voice inside his head enticed him to drink it. Genji felt something pool at the corners of his eyes as he remembered a much happier time not too long ago, a time when he was free to drink without consequence… aside from the massive hangovers the morning after. Genji wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before looking over at Jesse, who seemed too focused on one-upping his fellow agent. Turning his gaze back to the glass, Genji raised it to his lips, hesitating in a moment of clarity before the alcohol overtook his mind and he tilted his head back as he took his second drink and then slammed his glass down, reaching his hand towards the bottle to pour himself a third.

* * *

Once he was out of Genji’s line of sight, Hanzo’s smile faded. Biting his lower lip, he held back tears that threatened to fall.

‘ _Do not give into your emotions. The clan is unforgiving to any weakness,’_

Closing his eyes and taking deep breaths to calm himself, Hanzo walked down the hallway, knowing he must remain strong for his little brother. He was well aware that Genji was preparing to fight against the Shimada Clan, sensing the anger deep within the younger Shimada. Such hatred worried Hanzo, knowing that Genji would not be as lucky as he was when he was fighting against his own brother. No matter how many new skills Genji learned, he still had no chance against the Clan’s assassins. Hanzo thought carefully on Commander Morrison’s offer. Was it the right choice to join OverWatch? Could there be another way to watch over his brother? Hanzo knew that OverWatch was militaristic in their approach to world peace. He looked down at his metal forearm, caressing the metal plate that once contained the hidden wrist-blade. Hanzo then moved onto his right arm, pulling up the sleeve to stare at his bare shoulder. He did not have the presence of his dragons… And chances are, Genji did not as well. In order to ensure Genji’s well-being, Hanzo would have to accept Commander Morrison’s offer.

However, Hanzo knew that he would inevitably be thrust into circumstances that would force his hand into violence. Hanzo faltered in his step upon passing by Dr. Ziegler’s office. He could ask Dr. Ziegler to make certain modifications to his arm, much like she did with the blade… Would she accept such a request? If he insisted upon non-lethal attachments… Hanzo hunched his shoulders, wondering whether she would grant his wish after she had already done so much for him. He did not want to seem too demanding, especially to the one who had saved him from the brink of death. He did give her his gratitude, did he not? Perhaps this appreciation would persuade her. Hanzo raised his clenched fist, hovering it over the door as he began to have second thoughts. What if he made a mistake with such non-lethal attachments and inflicted lasting damage to someone? Hanzo scowled, scolding himself as he was reminded of Genji’s determination to fight the Clan. His own hesitation towards violence must come second to the safety of his brother.

As he was lost in his own thoughts, the door to Dr. Ziegler’s office opened, admitting the doctor outside. She hugged half a dozen binders closely in her right arm, several papers unceremoniously shoved in between the binders, and held her left hand against the communicator in her left ear. Her bright blonde hair looked a little disheveled and her eyes looked somehow irritated and panicked at the same time. Hanzo lowered his fist, his mouth slightly agape as he hesitated in voicing his request upon seeing how busy the doctor was.

“Just send those files over by 7 o’clock tonight, I need them in order to advance the operation,” Dr. Ziegler snapped, scowling before she stopped herself abruptly upon seeing Hanzo’s feet. Looking up, her eyes softened after recognizing him.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Shimada. How is your day?” Dr. Ziegler greeted, smiling.

“I…” Hanzo started before raising his metal forearm and clenching his fist. He then turned his head to look back at Dr. Ziegler. “I am well, all things considered.”

“I trust that you are becoming used to your new body? Dr. Ziegler asked.

“Y-Yes. Of course. They are perfect, thank you,” Hanzo said hurriedly, forcing a smile.

Dr. Ziegler furrowed her brow, tilting her head to the side as she studied him carefully. Once again, Hanzo felt as if she was looking into his mind.

“Is… Is there anything you wish to ask of me?” Dr. Ziegler prompted, shuffling her right forearm down the binders to maintain a firmer hold. Hanzo paused for a moment, eyeing Dr. Ziegler’s unkempt appearance and all the documents stuffed in her arms.

“It… It can wait,” Hanzo ultimately replied, bowing his head to her. However, Dr. Ziegler lowered her left hand from her earpiece to rest on Hanzo’s shoulder. Hanzo looked up to find her with a smile, the same one that struck him speechless earlier.

“You are my patient, Mr. Shimada. You may tell me,” Dr. Ziegler reassured.

“I… You seem very busy, Doctor,” Hanzo pointed out, staring at the binders in her arms.

“Mr. Shimada…” Dr. Ziegler said, sighing.

“I… I wish for you to… make new attachments,” Hanzo said hesitantly, raising his metal forearm. “Weapons attachments. Non-lethal.”

Her smile faltering, Dr. Ziegler contemplated this request, narrowing her eyes intently at Hanzo. He hunched his shoulders, feeling shameful for even asking this of her. He knew this was a terrible idea.

“I’m sorry, you… you do not have to-” Hanzo started before Dr. Ziegler raised her left hand in front of him, signalling him to stop speaking.

“I will have it done,” Dr. Ziegler declared. Hanzo’s eyes widened in surprise, to which Dr. Ziegler smiled in mild amusement. “You may come by my office at 5 tonight, I will have time then to tend to your request.”

“I… O-Of course,” Hanzo stuttered before breathing in deeply and clearing his throat to compose himself. He closed his eyes and bowed to her in gratitude. “Thank you, Dr. Ziegler.”

“You are very much welcome, Mr. Shimada,” Dr. Ziegler acknowledged before bringing her left hand to her earpiece and turning away from Hanzo. “Yes, of course. I am on my way.”

Dr. Ziegler glanced over her shoulder, nodding to him in farewell before moving on to tend to her duties. Hanzo felt as though a tremendous weight on his shoulders was lifted. So the doctor agreed to fulfill his demand. It was entirely unexpected, but not unwelcome. Hanzo clasped his hands together, pressing his lips against the cold surface of his metal hand.

Though Hanzo was uncertain of his decision to arm himself, he knew that his own fears were irrelevant when it came to Genji’s well-being. Straightening his fingers to press them together, Hanzo eyed the clock, seeing that he had a few hours until his appointment. Closing his eyes, he pressed his back against the wall before sliding down and sitting cross-legged. Hanzo rested the back of his head on the wall behind him, opening his eyes to stare up at the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, Hanzo settled into a meditative state to reflect upon his decision and decisions to follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the lack of updates for three weeks, exams and family Christmas matters occupied much of my time. I will try to update this more often from now on.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally deleted this chapter, so it's a repost. My apologies for the inconvenience.

Genji’s shoulder twitched, agitating the massive headache that was throbbing from his forehead, and his eyes darted open to find his cheek pressed up against a soft pillow. Confused, Genji turned over onto his back to glance around. He found himself lying on a twin-sized bed in a relatively big room with few furniture: a cabinet, a mirror, and a wardrobe. Genji propped himself up on his elbows, shuffling up on the bed to rest his back against the headboard. Genji noticed that there were blankets covering him and said blankets were laid upon his bare skin. Genji lifted the covers tucked under his shoulders to look down before sitting upright with his eyes wide. The last thing he remembered was leaning back to drink his… Was it his fourth or fifth? Genji couldn’t even remember how many glasses he had drunk. Genji then froze upon taking in his surroundings. He was in an unknown room and completely naked after consuming so much alcohol. It was something he was familiar with back home after having gone on a date with a girl from around town. Who did he fuck this time? Was it Doctor Ziegler? It couldn’t be, she seemed far too dignified of a woman to do this sort of thing. Perhaps it was that Tracer girl he had been seeing so much on OverWatch posters. She seemed most likely, though Genji could not recall ever interacting with her once during his stay here in OverWatch.

“Gen, you all right there, partner?” a voice groaned. Genji felt a shuffle in the blankets on his right. It was most certainly not a feminine voice and Genji recognized the Western accent.

Genji was afraid to look, but his curiosity got the better of him and he turned his head towards the source of the voice. Jesse was rubbing the bridge of his nose, grimacing as he opened his eyes slowly to look at Genji with squinted eyes. Genji nearly fell off the bed as he scrambled away from his fellow OverWatch agent, dragging the entire blanket with him. Genji stood up from the bed, holding the blanket against himself with his right hand to stay decent.

“What the hell?” Genji snapped, his cheeks blushing brightly. Ordinarily he would be nonchalant, but to see Jesse, a _man_ , lying beside him… Genji could now fully understand the confusion felt by the girls he slept with. Jesse was startled to find that after Genji had dragged the blankets away, there was absolutely nothing covering his own bare body.

“Hey, come on, Gen! Don’t hog it all!” Jesse protested, reaching over to his cowboy hat on the nightstand and using it to cover himself. Genji didn’t care about Jesse’s complaints, the Shimada bowing his head and shutting his eyes tightly with the knuckles of his left hand digging into his temple.

“What… What happened?” Genji growled, gritting his teeth. Jesse scratched his chin, glancing down at himself and then back to Genji. The young Shimada pulled the blankets tighter to himself, shuffling further away from the cowboy.

“Well… You n’ I are both buck naked. And you got quite some red shine to your cheeks there. Both pairs of cheeks,” Jesse commented, clicking his tongue and giving Genji a wink. Genji growled in response, hunching his shoulders and unable to stop more color flooding into his… facial cheeks. “If I had to take a shot in the dark here… I’d say we just slept together.”

“This is a dream,” Genji breathed, glancing around quickly to try and track down his own clothes amongst all of Jesse’s.

“Don’t think so, friend,” Jesse replied, shrugging before grinning. “But it is, I wouldn’t want to wake up.”

“I do,” Genji snapped before kneeling down to grab his scarf. He furrowed his brow, attempting to remember the past few hours. The earliest he could remember was drinking all those shots of Awamori. God, how much did he drink? Genji supposed the pounding migraine answered that question. Genji did not even think that the drinking was even worth it this time, he truly believed that this was a terrible mistake.

Genji continued trying to recall the past events, becoming more reassured with the more he could not remember. He was beginning to believe that he really was in a dream. Glancing over his shoulder at Jesse, Genji remembered Jesse’s stubbled chin rubbing against his cheek as he ran his tongue along the Shimada’s lips. Genji remembered being pressed up against the wall with Jesse’s calloused hands gripping Genji’s thighs. Genji remembered lying against the bedsheets with those very hands pulling Genji in by the hips as Jesse gyrated against- Oh no…

Genji stumbled back, pressing his back against the wall and sliding down. He made sure to keep a tight hold on the folds of the blanket covering him. His mind reeled, preventing any clear, solid thoughts from forming. Genji could only stare blankly in front of him as he attempted to recollect himself. Shaking his head to snap himself out of his trance, Genji focused on finding the rest of his clothes, kneeling down to pat around the bundles of clothes across the floor. He made sure to tilt his face away from Jesse to hide his embarrassment. However, when he glanced to the side, he furrowed his brow upon seeing something tattooed along his right arm. Two green dragons winded around Genji’s forearm, ending at his wrist. The positioning of the dragons mimicked the ones on Hanzo’s own arm. Genji narrowed his eyes, leaning his forearm in closely to study the tattooes. The eyes of the dragons glimmered a green glow, confirming such dragons as spirit dragons. Genji shook his head in confusion. What… What did this mean? Was this how Hanzo gained two spirit dragons? Genji wondered what he did to gain two additional dragons instead of one. Was this how the spirit dragons rewarded his victory over his brother? Or did the spirits sense his goal to fight the Shimada Clan and came to his aid? Either way, Genji knew that having three dragons would improve his chances against the Clan. However, right now, Genji focused on the present issue and tried his best to remain angry at the cowboy, but found that he was much too flustered to be so.

“You can relax. This’ll only be a one-time thing,” Jesse reassured, raising his cowboy hat from his crotch. Genji averted his eyes, scowling and furious with himself for even blushing. It was supposed to be the other party’s job to be blushing, not him.

“It should’ve been a no-time thing,” Genji spat back as he spotted more of his clothes and gathered them together alongside his scarf.

“Aw, that hurts, Gen,” Jesse replied, flipping his hat onto his head and standing up. “Admit it, it was probably the best sex ya ever had, partner.”

“No it was not. It was utterly repulsive,” Genji retorted, shuffling his clothes close to him to begin getting dressed under the safety of the blanket. Once he felt comfortable, Genji flung the blanket to the side and stood up, fixing his tunic before making a mistake of looking at Jesse. The cowboy was still completely naked, having not bothered to get himself dressed. Genji couldn’t help but stare at Jesse’s well-built shoulders, remembering those very shoulders pressed up against Genji, and then shifting his gaze down to Jesse’s rear. Genji knew that he should feel disgusted with what had happened and the smug grin on Jesse’s face prompted Genji to insist upon his own revulsion. And yet… A small voice inside Genji’s head, the little fragment of his old daring, playboy personality, whispered to him, much like it did when he was drinking earlier.

He had never done it with a man before and his blurry memories did nothing to truly encapsulate the experience. And despite Jesse’s statement that this was only going to occur once, Genji took note of Jesse’s teasing nature and guessed… even hoped that Jesse would not be opposed to a second time… Or third… Or fourth.

Genji grimaced, shaking his head once more to silence this insistent voice. That self-indulgence should be behind him now, all that mattered was his training and the Shimada Clan.

“Y’all right there, Gen?” Jesse asked.

“I am fine,” Genji replied before glaring at his partner in the eyes. “Do not speak of this ever again.”

“My lips are sealed, partner,” Jesse reassured, tipping his hat off to Genji.

“Right… Good,” Genji said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

“Ey, no need for any of that. Jesse McCree’s a man of his word,” Jesse replied, noticing Genji’s wariness as the cowboy raised his hands. Genji’s wariness before raising his hands and then reaching over to the nightstand for something.

“I suppose I have nothing else to go on than your word,” Genji grunted, looking to the side before turning towards the door. “Agent McCree, remember-”

“Not even a whisper of what happened,” Jesse reassured before making that annoying click from his lighter. “And that’s Jesse to you, partner, Gen.”

Genji said nothing more to Jesse, leaving the room without any further word or second glance.

* * *

 

“Mr. Shimada? Mr. Shimada!”

Startled, Hanzo snapped his eyes open, bringing his head away from the wall. He moved his head much too fast and ended up receiving a head rush from his abrupt movement. Hanzo held the side of his head as it reeled before he focused his blurred vision on the shape in front of him. When his vision started to clear up, he saw Dr. Ziegler kneeling in front of him, her left arm occupied with only a few binders as opposed to a dozen a few hours ago.

“Mr. Shimada… Were… Were you sitting here since the last time we met?” Dr. Ziegler asked. “Three hours ago?”

“W-What…?” Hanzo groaned before turning his head dazedly at the clock in the hallway. It was 4:45pm. Rubbing his eyes with his forearm, Hanzo stood up quickly, patting down his clothes. “I-I apologize, Dr. Ziegler. I… Yes, I was meditating since then.”

“You seemed to be having quite a deep meditation, Mr. Shimada,” Dr. Ziegler remarked, standing up herself and raising an eyebrow with an amused smile before furrowing her brow as she leaned her face in to study him more carefully. “When was the last time you had slept?”

“Would… Would that time when you gave me all of this count?” Hanzo replied slowly, raising his metal arm and gesturing to the metal plating on his chest. Dr. Ziegler sighed in exasperation, resting her hand on his shoulder.

“Mr. Shimada… You need your rest. You will become more accustomed to your new augmentations with the more sleep you have,” Dr. Ziegler advised. Hanzo bowed his head in guilt, knowing that no matter how hard he tried, he could not rest easy after that fateful night in Hanamura. However, remembering his father’s advice, Hanzo closed his eyes and took a deep breath to collect himself and cast aside his worries before raising his head to look back at Dr. Ziegler in the eyes.

“I’ll be fine, Dr. Ziegler,” Hanzo reassured, making considerable effort to keep his voice steady. However, despite his best efforts, it seemed that Dr. Ziegler was not fooled.

“No, you clearly are not,” Dr. Ziegler replied, shaking her head and resting her hand on his cheek. Taken aback, Hanzo felt his face heat up, not from Dr. Ziegler’s gentle hand, but his own embarrassment at the closeness of her touch. Hanzo felt her thumb brush underneath his eye, feeling the bags developed from the lack of sleep he suffered as of recently. “I highly recommend that you get a full night’s rest after this operation.”

Hanzo opened his mouth, perhaps to explain that he could not receive such because of recent events. Then, he decided against saying so, feeling that he did not want to drag the doctor into his personal matters. Though perhaps he was handling it poorly and he did truly appreciate the doctor’s concerns, Hanzo felt that it was his own issues to be resolved.

“Mr. Shimada, it is important for your health to follow my advice,” Dr. Ziegler continued, maintaining eye contact with him as she inputted a code into the panel by her door. Once the code was confirmed, the door to her office slid open to admit both her and Hanzo inside. “Only then would you make a smooth recovery.”

“I will be fine, Dr. Ziegler,” Hanzo insisted.

“Hm,” Dr. Ziegler said thoughtfully as she walked along her large, open office to take place in front of her computer monitors. Setting her binders down onto the table, Hanzo watched her carefully as Dr. Ziegler pulled out a clipboard from a drawer in her desk and then typed in a code on the holographic keyboard, Dr. Ziegler stepped back as the desk slowly slid down into the floor before being replaced with an operating table. Two mechanical arms swivelled down from the ceiling and hovered over the operating table. One of the arms held Dr. Ziegler’s healing staff, holding the glowing end towards the table.

“Have a seat, Mr. Shimada,” Dr. Ziegler ordered, gesturing to the table before looking at the clipboard in hand. Hanzo did as she asked, resting his hands on his knees as he sat down on the operating table. She pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose as she stood in front of him, studying her clipboard. “Mr. Shimada, are you sure about this? This is not a choice to be taken lightly.”

“I have considered this decision very carefully,” Hanzo replied with a slow nod. “And I have made my choice, Dr. Ziegler.”

“Very well, if you insist,” Dr. Ziegler sighed before setting the clipboard down. She pulled back a tray of medical tools from the side of the operating table, hovering her hand over the tray. “But first, I must conduct a few tests to ensure that everything is in working order.”

“Of course,” Hanzo said understandably, bowing his head and raising his metal forearm obligingly. Dr. Ziegler took the arm in both of her hands, brushing her fingers along the cold surface.

Glossing over the metal panel that once contained the hidden blade, Dr. Ziegler turned over Hanzo’s hand with the palm facing up. Studying each finger one at a time, Dr. Ziegler then dug the pads of her thumbs into Hanzo’s palm. Upon applying such pressure, Hanzo inadvertently reared up with his back arched, his spine subjected to a strange tingling sensation.

“Was there any pain, Mr. Shimada?” Dr. Ziegler asked, looking up from his palm and digging her thumbs in again.

“I… No, there was not. But there was some- A-Ah...” Hanzo replied, his voice shaking as goosebumps crept up his back. Much to his relief, Dr. Ziegler released her hold on his arm, setting the metal arm down onto his lap. Hanzo turned his face away, feeling very undignified after that little moan he let out.

“Hm…” Dr. Ziegler murmured, observing her clipboard and jotting down some notes before raising her hands to the metal plating along his jawline. She held her hands against the sides of his face, stroking the metal lining with her slender fingers. Hanzo did his best to keep still, though Dr. Ziegler’s gentle touch sent Hanzo’s skin shivering.

“S-Sorry…” Hanzo murmured, hoping that Dr. Ziegler would not notice his reddening cheeks. If she did, she didn’t seem to acknowledge it.

“It’s all right, Mr. Shimada. There’s no need to apologize,” Dr. Ziegler acknowledged before resting her index finger on the end of the metal strip at his temple. She studied it carefully, leaning her face in. Hanzo felt her warm breath brush his ear and it seemed like hours before she brought her face away to add more notes onto her clipboard.

At the corner of his eye, Hanzo noticed a tiny, knowing smile that was barely noticeable on Dr. Ziegler’s lips. Hanzo had a sneaking suspicion that Dr. Ziegler was deliberately making him this flustered. If she was, Hanzo knew he could do nothing, because if he wanted to receive the weapons implants, he would have to subject himself to these inspections.

Dr. Ziegler then walked around to stand behind him. Hanzo continued to look forwards, feeling quite vulnerable with his back turned to her. Nonetheless, Hanzo forced himself to relax, knowing that the doctor would not ever abuse her position. This belief was tested when Hanzo straightened his back abruptly upon feeling Dr. Ziegler’s hands rest on his hips and then slide up to his upper back. Such hands didn’t seem like a medical practitioner’s hands, the touch being much too intimate to be so. Hanzo then flinched when Dr. Ziegler suddenly opened up a metal panel in between his shoulders. He glanced over his shoulder to find Dr. Ziegler swinging open two metal plates on his back.

“Look forwards, Mr. Shimada,” Dr. Ziegler ordered, resting her palms on his temples and turning his head to face the front. Hanzo obeyed her, keeping his head still while Dr. Ziegler… did whatever she intended. He jumped when something jolted his back. “Do not panic, Mr. Shimada. I was just readjusting some parts.”

“V-Very well,” Hanzo stuttered, still recovering from the shock of the sensation. He then dipped forward slightly as Dr. Ziegler closed the panel shut.

He then flinched when Dr. Ziegler clapped her hands on his shoulders before pulling back on them. Hanzo gritted his teeth and grimaced as his shoulder blades hugged each other. He was taken aback at how firm Dr. Ziegler’s slender hands were, stretching his shoulders back enough to strain the joints but not enough to hurt. Recognizing this to be a standard stretching exercise, Hanzo closed his eyes and inhaled slowly before Dr. Ziegler released her hold, letting Hanzo relax his shoulders while exhaling. Hanzo then breathed in sharply as he felt Dr. Ziegler press something cold and metallic against his back, followed by something soft and warm.

Hanzo made the mistake of glancing over his shoulder to see Dr. Ziegler pressing the side of her head against his lower back along with a stethoscope. Hanzo quickly looked away, clearing his throat and tilting his chin down to maintain his composure. Then, Hanzo realized that Dr. Ziegler was listening to his heartbeat, and it was most definitely racing at the moment. Once again, she made no comment as she brought the stethoscope away.

“Everything seems to be working fine. Your body has adapted to the cybernetics surprisingly well,” Dr. Ziegler announced, leaving the stethoscope hanging from her neck as she took place in front of Hanzo, writing more notes on her paper before setting the clipboard down and crossing her arms. “Again, Mr. Shimada. Are you sure about this?”

“I… I assure you, Dr. Ziegler. I will not use these weapons to take a life,” Hanzo said slowly, feeling that he needed to put her concerns at ease. “I only intend to use them to protect lives.”

“Hm…” Dr. Ziegler murmured, resting her chin in between her thumb and index finger and looking at him deep in the eyes. Hanzo maintained eye contact, wanting to show that he was genuine in this promise. Dr. Ziegler sighed and nodded slightly.

“All right, Mr. Shimada. Let us begin the procedure then,” Dr. Ziegler finally decided, holding her right hand out towards his metal forearm. Though he still harbored doubts, Hanzo raised his forearm to the doctor nonetheless.


	7. Chapter 7

“One. Two. Three. Four and five,”

Genji clashed his katana against his trainer’s broadsword, coordinating his strikes with the knight’s count. Genji brought his blade up to block Jantis’s overhead swing and locked swords. Genji’s trainer leaned forwards to bear more weight upon Genji, forcing the Shimada down to one knee before Jantis brought a gauntleted fist back and socked Genji right in the jaw to knock him to the ground. He fell onto his back, clutching his bleeding lip before spitting out a wad of blood onto the ground. His trainer held his hand out to his student.

“What was that??” Genji demanded to his trainer as he shoved Jantis’ hand aside and got up to his feet, clutching his jaw.

“That was a punch,” Jantis replied.

“Of course it was. But that was not allow-” Genji said in frustration.

“You think the enemy’s going to just follow the rules and play nicely?” Jantis pointed out. “You’re going to have to forget everything you learned from the Clan. Be unpredictable and maybe you’ll stand a chance.”

“‘Maybe.’ That’s an encouraging thought,” Genji said dryly.

“Better chance than you would’ve had without us,” Jantis shot back as he raised his broadsword. “Again.”

Genji got up to one knee, holding his sword with both hands and angling it towards his trainer. Lunging forwards, he maneuvered his blade to block strikes from Jantis.

“One. Two. Three. Four and five,” Jantis called out, locking blades once more with his student. Genji had the upper hand, leaning forwards and driving his trainer to one knee. Then, He swept his leg across the floor and connected with the back of Jantis’s shin, sliding his trainer’s leg forwards and throwing off his balance. Genji then kicked at his trainer’s helmet with the blade of his foot, knocking the knight onto his back. The Shimada warrior hovered the end of his katana in front of Jantis’s helmet.

“Yield,” Genji ordered. Jantis raised his sword hand before his weapon was knocked out of his hand when Genji stomped on Jantis’s forearm. Grinding his boot against the gauntlet, Genji’s trainer growled underneath his metal visor, tilting his head to the side.

“Enough,” Jantis ordered, prompting Genji to step off of his trainer. Standing to his feet, Jantis rolled his shoulders. “You’re learning fast. Good job, Genji.”

“Thank you,” Genji replied, bowing to his trainer in acknowledgement. Jantis twirled his sword in hand once before holding it in a reverse-grip behind him.

However, before either one of them could make the first move, Jantis raised his left forearm to his visor, which had a holographic screen flashing a notification.

“New mission,” Jantis reported, sheathing his sword and jerking his head towards the doors. Genji followed his trainer through the hallways and entered the briefing room. It was a darkened room with a glowing holographic map over the center of the table. The country of Russia was highlighted, with an indicator on a city called Khodovarikha. Genji observed a list of BlackWatch agents to be assigned to the city, finding his own name in the list alongside Jesse’s. Removing his white Oni mask, Genji took his place by Jesse, who was already waiting by the right side of the table and lighting one of his trademark cigars before playing with his lighter to click it repeatedly with the lid. Jantis himself walked over to stand by two BlackWatch agents that Genji did not recognize, one Omnic and one Human.

The human agent’s forehead was some sort of night-vision goggles strapped around to the back of his head by a leather belt. However, these particular goggles had three glowing blue circular visors, the one on his forehead being much larger than the two directly underneath. He was wearing a fabric assault suit, reinforced by leather pauldrons and knee armor as well as a standard ammo vest. His left pauldron had the BlackWatch symbol plastered onto it. Strapped on his back was a wide-barreled and long weapon of some kind that Genji couldn’t quite identify.

The Omnic agent was coated in black paint with red stripes on its face, painted to form a circle along the Omnic’s jawline, sides of the face, and top of the forehead. The Omnic’s eyes were slanted and glowed bright red in a perpetual glare. The BlackWatch logo was painted on his chestplate, the Omnic’s face mimicking the horse skull on the logo. Reinforced, spiked plating was welded to the Omnic’s shoulders, forearms, and chest. An ammo belt was slung over his right shoulder and diagonally across his chest. Two pistols were holstered on his hips. The agent raised his right forearm and flexed his fingers, where a gun barrel did a full rotation on the forearm before lowering itself underneath two metal plates that clicked together.

All agents in the room stood to attention, saluting Commander Reyes as he entered the room. Genji quickly followed suit, standing stiffly with his hands to the side.

“Listen up here. We’ve been contacted by a person of interest in Khodovarikha, Russia,” Commander Reyes explained, bringing up a profile of a young woman with a pointed chin and chiselled jawline. Genji studied her bright blue eyes, which stared back coldly at the BlackWatch agents. This was a woman who had little compassion or sympathy. “Katya Volskaya, daughter of Grigori Volskaya and heir to Volskaya Industries.”

“Any reason why the daughter of the most powerful man in Russia would contact us?” the unknown human agent asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Katya Volskaya reported that Talon had attacked one of her company’s supply lines,” Commander Reyes explained. “She wants us to secure the captured cargo and escort it to the Volskaya Industries factory in Khodovarikha.”

“And what would be the motivation behind this operation?” the Omnic agent noted, tilting his head to the side.

“Katya conferred with her father and they both agreed to enter a trade deal with BlackWatch and supply us with their latest weapons,” Commander Reyes replied.

“That’s quite sufficient motivation,” the Omnic commented, nodding.

“Seems a little iffy, if you ask me,” Jesse remarked, taking his cigar away from between his lips. “She just turned up out of the blue, boss?”

Commander Reyes leaned forwards, bringing up a holographic blueprint of a heavy-duty energy railgun projected above the table.

“If we can transport the cargo to the rendezvous point, then Katya will provide BlackWatch with these particle cannons, capable of projecting energy beams and protective energy barriers,” Commander Reyes explained.

“Now that sounds mighty useful,” Jesse said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Genji rested his chin in between his index finger and thumb, studying the holographic blueprint. If the engineers could extract the energy technology, it would significantly improve his chances against the Shimada Clan. “What’s the plan, boss?”

“Mission should be straightforward,” Commander Reyes reassured. “Link up with the VI security force, secure the cargo, power up the tram, and bring it to the Volskaya Industries factory in Khodovarikha.”

“‘Straightforward’ has never been associated with any of our operations,” the Omnic agent pointed out, turning his head towards the Commander.

“You’re right. Katya told me that the tram has an extremely fragile cargo that is priority number one,” Commander Reyes acknowledged, bringing up a holographic image of a steel container. “This container is dark red with the Volskaya Industries logo. When you see it, Katya has told us to treat it with extreme care and never to open it.”

“That ain’t suspicious at all,” Jesse replied, rolling his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. Do this right and these weapons, and future ones, are ours,” Commander Reyes growled, pointing to the hologram of the particle cannon. Commander Reyes then took the list of BlackWatch agents assigned to Khodovarikha, separating the names into individual components and writing out objectives for each agent.

“Agent McCree, you’ll be the on-site leader of this operation,” Commander Reyes started before pointing to Jesse. “He may not look much, but do as he says and you’ll come through relatively unscathed.”

“Aw, that hurts, boss,” Jesse commented with a grin, tipping his hat nevertheless and shuffling his cigar to the side of his mouth. Ignoring Jesse’s remark, Commander Reyes then turned his attention to Jantis and Genji.

“Agent Wiegand and Agent Shimada, you’ll be the closest guards to the priority cargo,” Commander Reyes continued, looking at the knight. Jantis nodded solemnly in response.

This being his first mission under Reyes’s command, Genji was frankly a little irritated that the mission did not involve the Shimada Clan in any way. However, Commander Reyes had promised Genji that he would face the Shimada Clan in due time. Genji finally nodded to the Commander, deciding that this mission was a chance for him to display his skills.

The Commander then turned his head towards the two agents Genji did not recognize,

“Agent Ainsley and Agent Adaro, you’re responsible for active recon throughout the operation. You’re going to be our eyes,” Commander Reyes said, addressing the goggled agent and the Omnic agent respectively.

“Copy that, mate,” Agent Ainsley acknowledged quickly, saluting to the Commander.

“Understood, Commander,” Agent Adaro added.

“Agent Shimada, you’ll be working in close coalition with Agent Ainsley. You’ll be working to deactivate any security systems and alarms. You’ll be a key part in ensuring that this is a _covert_ operation,” Commander Reyes explained. “You’ll be briefed further on your way there. Khodovarikha is a long ways off, so prepare some icebreakers. Any questions?.”

Commander Reyes organized most of their operations and they’ve always had minimal casualties, thus they had minimal complaints and questions as well.

“That’s what I thought. Dismissed,” Commander Reyes growled with a grin.

The five BlackWatch agents saluted to their Commander one last time before filing out of the room. The group said nothing as they walked along the hallway.

“First mission here, Gen. Think ya can handle it?” Jesse remarked as he nudged his elbow against Genji’s shoulder. Genji scowled in mild irritation, but said nothing. “Ya normally something to say. You damn well weren’t quiet two nights ago.”

Genji quickly glanced over his shoulder before leaning his head in close to Jesse.

“Oh my, comin’ in fer a pucker, partner?” Jesse commented, removing his cigar from between his teeth. Genji fought to keep his voice low, though Jesse’s incessantly flirtatious attitude made it quite difficult.

“You promised you wouldn’t mention it ever again,” Genji growled under his breath.

“That I did. I said it was only a one-time thing. Ya got nothin’ to worry about,” Jesse reassured, leaning his head back as he took a puff from his cigar.

“Then, can you stop with the-” Genji snapped before he inhaled sharply as Jesse clicked his lighter. Genji rubbed his temple, trying to calm his pounding head. He turned his face away, doing his absolute best to ignore Jesse’s clicking lighter. Jantis sensed Genji’s growing temper and swooped in, resting his hand on his student’s shoulder and nodding to Agent Ainsley and Agent Adaro. Genji looked behind him and slowed down to keep pace with his trainer and leave Jesse alone as Agent Ainsley and Agent Adaro caught up to talk with the cowboy.

“Agent Shimada, you’ll have to keep a level head for this operation,” Jantis advised carefully. “We need you at your full attention, especially with your assignment.”  
“I’m fine,” Genji reassured, not looking over as the squad walked along the hallway.

“Maybe, but keep what I said in mind,” Jantis insisted before walking ahead to leave Genji alone with his own thoughts. Genji bowed his head, faltering momentarily in his step and wondering whether he was on the right path. Then Genji remembered his brother lying down on the operating table and how it came to that. Holding his Oni mask in both hands, Genji breathed in slowly, sliding the Oni mask onto his face before he quickened his pace to catch up to the rest of the BlackWatch agents.

* * *

Hanzo’s metal fingers brushed the synthetic feathers of the arrow in hand. Wrapping the tips of his fingers around the end of the shaft, he held the arrow shaft in between his index and middle finger, breathing in slowly as he pulled back on the bowstring. Bringing the arrow to his chin, Hanzo took aim at the target, holding in his breath. The cold air chilled the inside of his lungs and he struggled to maintain his concentration before he gasped out, letting loose the arrow much too early and landing it far from the target’s center.

Lowering his bow, Hanzo struggled to steady his breathing, resting his hand on his chest as he stumbled to the side and leaned his forearm on the wall. Since his new implants, Hanzo always found deep breaths to be the most painful, which proved quite problematic as his father’s teachings emphasized on such techniques to calm his mind.

Remembering Dr. Ziegler’s advice, Hanzo patted along his sash and took the gourd hanging from his left hip. Popping off the cork, Hanzo drank from the bottle, closing his eyes tightly as the bitter tea warmed the cold chill in his chest. Replacing the cork and tying his gourd back against his sash, Hanzo then brought his bow up, clenching his right fist. A plate opened up on his metal forearm, revealing a wheel of arrows installed within the limb. The wheel rotated a few revolutions before it stopped abruptly, propelling forwards an arrow that Hanzo caught between his right index and middle finger. Nocking the arrow on the bowstring, Hanzo narrowed his eyes, pulling back the arrow and aiming it at the target.

Hanzo then loosened the bowstring upon hearing his personal datapad ring from his right hip. Hanzo stared at the device before reluctantly taking it and answering the call.

“Commander Morrison?” Hanzo prompted, furrowing his brow.

“Agent Shimada, you are needed in the briefing room,” Commander Morrison replied.

Hanzo furrowed his brow. He was not at all prepared to receive his first assignment so soon. In fact, he was praying that he wouldn’t be assigned any at all. Hanzo bit his lower lip, laying the unused arrow onto a table laid out with various weapons. He considered refusing the Commander’s order or give an excuse for his absence. However, Hanzo shook his head, deciding to give the Commander the benefit of the doubt.

“I’m on my way,” Hanzo said, nodding as he closed the connection. Slinging the bow over his head and strapping the bowstring diagonally across his chest, Hanzo left the training room, walking out into the hallway. He slowed down for a bit, glancing at both sides of the hallway, before heading to the right and turning around the corner. Hanzo knew that he would be given a mission at some point, but he never thought it would come so soon, especially after his surgery. Could they not give a few more days for him to adjust? Upon entering the briefing room, Hanzo took a few seconds to examine the room.

A hologram of the world map revolved above a long table, covered with markers detailing positions of OverWatch agents and enemy activity. Surrounding the table were half a dozen OverWatch agents, all analyzing the map which highlighted the country of Egypt. Hanzo took place at the right side of the table, clapping his hands behind his back. He glanced to the left before quickly looking to the map with his lips tightened. Dr. Ziegler was standing beside him, resting the end of her pen against her lips as she studied the indicator on the Temple of Anubis, acknowledging Hanzo with a brief sideways glance and small smile. Clearing his throat quietly, Hanzo followed her gaze, examining the information displayed above the indicator.

The Temple of Anubis was struck with a severe drought, leading to widespread death throughout the area. Relief teams were already on-site to provide food and medical supplies to the starving citizens. There was a list of OverWatch agents assigned to the location. Hanzo noticed that his name was amongst the agents in the list. He was about to comment on it, but he held back his words upon seeing the Commander enter the room.

“Commander on deck!” one of the OverWatch agents barked, a man with a blonde military crewcut and dark tanned skin. In response to said remark, all the OverWatch agents stood to attention, saluting to the Commander. His hand hovering midway to a salute, Hanzo decided otherwise and rested his clenched right fist on his left shoulder, bowing to the Commander.

“At ease,” Commander Morrison replied, walking to the far end of the table.

“What’s the mission today, sir?” an agent asked, a woman with dark brown skin and short, dark blonde wavy hair.

“Your assignment today will be aiding the Egyptian government with relief efforts at the Temple of Anubis. Ana Amari will be your CO for this operation,” Commander Morrison explained, gesturing to one particular agent. The woman raised her hand in acknowledgement, nodding to each person in the room. She was nearing the end of her adult years, evident in the wrinkles in her cheeks. Her black hair fell past her shoulders and her dark brown eyes twinkled with a spirit years younger than her physical body.

“Stick to the plan and with each other,” Ana advised, nodding with a smile. “I may be in command, but Angela will be coordinating with the medical personnel in the area. Do as she says. This is her territory.”

“Only if you keep an eye on us, Mama bear,” an agent remarked, a Middle-Eastern man with sharp cheekbones and black hair swept back in a quiff.

“Naturally, Singh,” Ana replied with a small laugh. “Someone has to get all of you home for dinner.”

While everyone was in good spirits with each other, Hanzo’s mind reeled, shaking his head in disbelief. Hanzo still felt uncertain of his place here in OverWatch, his thoughts focused on OverWatch and his clan being bitter enemies. Did anyone here suspect him of being a spy? Hanzo glanced at each OverWatch agent in turn. They all seemed focused on their commander and commanding officer. If they were wary of him, they were good at hiding their suspicion. As opposed to these agents, Hanzo felt like an outsider. These people had to have known his criminal activities committed under the Shimada Clan name. Hanzo considered opting out of this mission, remembering to keep a close eye on Genji. Besides, Hanzo would’ve been much more comfortable dealing with terrorists than helping civilians. He had no qualms of using his weapons upon criminals, but what if his hand was forced in this particular operation? Hanzo knew it was unlikely, but he had to prepare himself in case the improbable happened. He had checked over the list of agents assigned to the Temple of Anubis, finding to his disappointment that Genji was not among the names. In fact, Genji’s name was not found on any of the lists of active or assigned agents.

“Let’s keep this operation clean,” Commander Morrison concluded, patting the edge of the table with both hands. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks or violence. You’ll be briefed further on your way there. Dismissed.”

The agents saluted to the Commander, while Hanzo stood in place, stepping forwards to speak with Commander Morrison. However, Commander Morrison addressed someone in his earpiece and swiftly walked out of the room. As the agents filed out, Hanzo felt a hand rest on his shoulder, prompting him to look over. Ana’s dark brown eyes were focusing on Hanzo’s own, the intensity of her stare unnerving Hanzo. Hanzo could’ve sworn he saw the irises of her eyes rotate in place as she smiled warmly at him, the brightness of her smile shedding years from her face.

“Don’t be so worried. It’ll be a quiet operation,” Ana reassured before taking Hanzo’s metal hand in between both of her own and patting his metal forearm. “So relax. It is unlikely that you’ll need to use this.”

Hanzo looked down at her hands, biting his lip. A mission focusing on relief efforts did not seem very dangerous. He appreciated her reassurance and though his fears were quelled somewhat, they did not entirely fade away. Nonetheless, she had helped a great deal in easing his mind.

“Thank you, Agent Amari,” Hanzo finally sighed, his shoulders lowering as he followed her into the hallway and through the facility.

“You’ll be all right. We’ll all look after you,” Ana continued as they entered a sort of vehicle depot. Massive, heavy-treaded trucks were lined up along one side of the depot with side ramps lowered to the ground. The other side of the depot had large aircraft with short wings, the side ramps of the vehicles swung open as well. Ana led Hanzo to one particular aircraft, which was already loaded with the rest of the agents present in the briefing room.

“Took ya long enough, mama bear,” Singh remarked, looking up from the holographic map projected above the table. The dark blonde woman was also standing by Singh, examining the map. “Getting slow in your old age?”

“Oh, Singh. You’re such a gentleman,” Ana replied with a light chuckle. When Hanzo reached the end of the ramp and stepped into the aircraft, he took in his surroundings.

The aircraft was quite spacious, with two staircases on either side. The middle room had two tables, one with a holographic world map and another with papers scattered across its surface. Dr. Ziegler was already setting her own medical papers onto the second table, sorting through the documents and organizing them. Hanzo noticed that with a closer look, she was wearing some sort of white metal armor underneath her long coat. When she turned her head to return his gaze, Hanzo immediately averted his eyes, only to blink and reel his head back suddenly when there was a white flash right in his eyes. Standing on either side of Hanzo were a Caucasian man with fair skin and messy jet black hair and the same blonde crewcut man who had addressed Commander Morrison’s entrance earlier.

“We’ll laugh about this in the future, hombre,” the blonde man remarked, lowering his personal phone and fist-bumping the black-haired man.

“Don’t hassle him, you two,” Ana scolded, shuffling Hanzo away from the two. OverWatch agents. Hanzo glanced over his shoulder at the two agents, who were chuckling to each other. “Don’t mind them. Bayless and Al-Farouk love to pester new members.”

“They did the same to me,” the blonde woman beside Singh called out, raising her hand in greeting to Hanzo. “Mirembe. I was the newest member before you. Anything you need, don’t be afraid to come to me for help.”

“I… T-Thank you,” Hanzo replied, unaccustomed to this much hospitality from complete strangers. To be honest, he felt very overwhelmed by the good nature of everyone here. He almost believed that such happiness being displayed was artificial, but as far as he could tell right now, it was all genuine. Hanzo was used to a more solemn and formal atmosphere, developed from prolonged interaction with the clan and little so with outsiders.

“Hanzo? Are you alright?” Ana asked in concern, tilting her head to the side to study his face. Hanzo shook his head and forced a small smile at her.

“I am fine,” Hanzo reassured before glancing down at his metal forearm for a moment and then looking over at Dr. Ziegler. She was examining her staff, ensuring that it was in working order. Hanzo felt Ana’s eyes stare at him, making him feel understandably uneasy. Hanzo then raised his metal forearm, returning Ana’s gaze. “I…  I have something to discuss with Dr. Ziegler.”

“Of course,” Ana acknowledged. Hanzo felt her eyes watch him carefully as he approached Dr. Ziegler. His lips parting to greet her, his words caught in his throat when she removed her long coat to reveal a sleek, white armor suit with furled metal wings and glowing yellow feathers. A yellow halo hovered over her head, revolving in place as it pulsated with a bright light. Hanzo stood there dumbfounded and couldn’t form any coherent thoughts as Angela looked over her shoulder.  
“Hm? Mr. Shimada, how can I help you?” she asked with that accursed smile.

“I-I… I… N-Never mind,” Hanzo stuttered, turning away. He stormed up one of the staircases, holding his face in his hands as he sat down on one of the bunk beds. Ancestor’s sake, he could talk to a room full of assassins and crime leaders, yet he was absolutely speechless before a single woman.

“Wow. That was… something,” Bayless commented, prompting Hanzo to raise his face from his hands. Bayless was standing in front of Hanzo alongside Al-Farouk and Mirembe. Hanzo glared at Bayless, who was making a terrible effort in keeping a straight face.

“Do not speak of this ever again,” Hanzo growled.

“Relax, sadiq,” Al-Farouk reassured before nudging his shoulder on Bayless. “At least you actually kept your cool, unlike Bayless here.”

“Okay, in all fairness, I was drinking,” Bayless defended.

“Oh yeah. Like you would have a clear head to ask the doctor if she liked it from behind,” Mirembe replied with a grin, prompting Bayless to punch her in the shoulder. Rubbing her shoulder, Mirembe nodded to Hanzo. “You and half the people in OverWatch have or had crushes on her. It’ll pass.”

“Thank you, Mirembe,” Hanzo acknowledged. His suspicions of a simple infatuation now confirmed, Hanzo breathed out in relief, relaxing. “I wish to be left alone to… think.”

“You sure about that? Come on, I think we can hang out for the rest of the way there,” Bayless asked, trying to recover from Mirembe’s remarks.

Hanzo shuffled up on the bed and brought his legs up, crossing them and resting the palms of his hands on his knees.

“I am sure,” Hanzo said steadily, clearing his throat and looking up to smirk at Bayless. “I won’t forget what Mirembe said.”

“Great…” Bayless muttered as he turned away. Al-Farouk was stifling his laughs, ignoring Bayless’s glares and curses. Mirembe was rolling her eyes in exasperation as she followed the pair down the staircases.

Hanzo bowed his head, finding to his relief that one nuisance can be cast out of his mind. He opened his eyes momentarily as the aircraft rumbled and powered up its engines. A sense of weightlessness temporarily took hold of his body as the vehicle lifted off the ground and soared through the sky. Hanzo closed his eyes and returned to his personal meditations, raising his right hand in front of his chest with his index and middle finger up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Hombre' is Spanish for 'man'.  
> 'Sadiq' is 'male/neutral friend' in Arabic.


	8. Chapter 8

Genji crept along the rocks, taking care to stay out of sight from the railroad checkpoint on the cliff overlooking the rocky field. It was a small station branching off from the main railroad. Hugging his back against the rocks, Genji peered around his cover to eye the checkpoint. He spotted Jesse dressed in maintenance clothes, walking towards the station and flicking a used cigar to the side. As expected, Jesse couldn’t leave behind his hat, leaving it hanging from his back.

“Y’all in position?” Jesse asked on the channel.

“Acknowledged. Train’s ETA is fifteen minutes,” Agent Adaro reported from his vantage point.

“What’s the sitrep on the checkpoint?” Jantis asked.

“Got six mechanics, grouped up around the docking stations. One Talon bloke by the back entrance, another two at the front. One of those two is keeping an eye on the security station inside,” Agent Ainsley replied after a brief moment’s observation. “There’s two cameras on the building checking out the front, one underneath the roof over the docking station, and two others at the rear entrance.”

“A rather respectable security system,” Agent Adaro remarked.

“Agent Ainsley and Shimada, I’ll talk up my co-workers and those Talon guys. Be ready when you see a chance,” Jesse said, prompting Genji to tilt his head up and pull out two shurikens from a pouch at his hip.

Genji eyed the checkpoint, assessing the range between him and the building. This was about as close as Genji could get without risking discovery, but was relieved that the cameras were within throwing distance.

Holding the two shurikens between the fingers of his right hand, Genji narrowed his eyes to focus on the two swiveling cameras on the back wall of the building. Primitive security system, but clearly Talon did not want to spare any expenses in improving such an isolated location.

“Agent McCree’s moving in,” Agent Ainsley reported. “Agent Shimada, I’m going to need you to tilt the left camera… about 30 degrees to the right and the right camera 25 degrees to the left.”

Genji raised the shurikens in hand. He was unsure of how he would successfully turn the cameras at those exact numbers, but there was no time for second thoughts or hesitation.

“Agent Shimada, now!” Agent Ainsley urged.

Genji tossed both shurikens, sending them spinning up the cliff face and around in an arc to graze the cameras. He held his breath as he waited for Agent Ainsley’s report.

“Off by a few degrees, but it’s good enough,” Agent Ainsley tuned in. Genji breathed out slowly in relief before approaching the cliff face and scaling the rocks. As he approached the top, he paused.

“Agent Ainsley, where’s the guard?” Genji whispered into his communicator.

“That bloke’s about a metre to the left in front of you,” Agent Ainsley replied after a quick assessment. “Hold on, I got you covered.”

Genji’s head snapped to his right as something flew into the edge of the cliff and sent rocks crumbling down to the ground below. He then tilted his head up upon hearing a raised voice, distorted through a voice modulator.

“Agent Shimada, get ready to move to the roof… Now!” Agent Ainsley barked. Genji climbed up and leaped from the ground towards the building, grabbing onto the roof and pulling himself up. “Camera over the docking station. Right side.”

Rolling away from the edge of the roof, Genji took only a brief moment to look back at the cliff. The Talon agent was leaning forwards to scan the cliff face before turning away to resume his position by the doors. Spotting the camera above the docking station, Genji somersaulted forwards across the roof. He swiftly threw one shuriken towards the camera before taking cover behind a protruding pipe that trailed fog from its opening.

“And I said, it’s ‘ _High Noon’_ ,” Jesse said loudly to the other workers, dragging out the last two words dramatically. He held his index and middle finger up with the thumb sticking out to mimic a pistol. This punchline sent all the other mechanics roaring with laughter, which drowned out the scraping noise when the shuriken nudged the camera to the right. Jesse’s one-liner even earned a small snort from one of the Talon agents standing guard at the docking station, prompting the other Talon soldier to punch his comrade in the shoulder.

Genji rolled his eyes, wondering as to why they found Jesse so insatiably amusing when the young Shimada personally found the likeable cowboy annoying and punchably insistent.

“Train’s ETA is five minutes now,” Agent Adaro reported.

“Docking station’s still well-guarded,” Genji piped up, seeing no obvious blindspots in order to get to said station. There was no response to this for a short while.

“I ain’t gonna lie, this place’s pretty bunkered down,” Jesse admitted, walking away from the group of mechanics and lighting his cigar. “When the train comes in, we’re going to have to coordinate a simultaneous strike. We got ‘bout five minutes while the train’s docked.”

“Have you all forgotten the definition of a ‘covert operation’?” Agent Adaro reminded.

“Can’t be noticed if there’s no one to notice. The VI blokes have tranq darts on standby,” Agent Ainsley pointed out. “Agent Shimada, there’s two cameras at the front of the building overlooking the docking station.”

“I have that handled,” Genji replied, nodding as he readied two shurikens.

“Cap’n Ovechkin’s team’ll handle the workers,” Jesse continued, pausing for a moment as he took a long drag from his cigar. “I got the guards.”

“Acknowledged, what will be the signal?” Jantis said, the sound of an unsheathing sword heard in the background.

“When ya see Agent Shimada movin’ in, that’s the signal,” Jesse replied.

“Copy that,” Jantis acknowledged. Genji raised his head and caught sight of a long train moving along the railroad tracks towards the checkpoint.

“We’ve got the train moving in,” Agent Adaro said. “Eight Talon agents. Three in the rear cart, two in the middle, two on the roofs, and one in the pilot cart.”

“Agent Wiegand, be ready to stop the train. Ya ready, Agent Shimada?” Jesse asked. Genji took a deep breath before pushing off the edge of the roof. Somersaulting to break his fall, Genji turned around and quickly examined the front of the building, throwing his two shurikens to disable the cameras.

The two soldiers standing guard raised their rifles before their heads snapped back, slumping against the wall and sliding down with blood trailing from the back of their heads. Genji glanced over his shoulder to see the maintenance workers falling unconscious. Jesse was also standing in front of Genji, the revolver in hand pointed towards the dead soldiers.

“Gotcha covered, Gen,” Jesse remarked, clicking his tongue and winking at the ninja. Scowling at his leader, Genji hunched his shoulders and gritted his teeth upon hearing the sudden screeching of metal against metal.

Unsheathing his Wakizashi blade, Genji whirled around to see Jantis on the window of the pilot cart. Jantis gripped the hilt of his broadsword, pushing forwards and digging the blade deeper into the train’s driver. With the absence of a live driver, the train’s brakes activated and began to slow down, spraying sparks from beneath its wheels. The two Talon agents on the roof of the train were struggling to maintain their balance before they fell off the sides as Jesse shot both of them.

“Push towards the train!” Jesse ordered as soon as the train skidded a small distance past the checkpoint to a halt. Jantis pulled his fist back and punched the window pane into the cart to create an opening. “We don’t got much time to move through this train. So let’s make this quick and clean.”

Climbing through the open window, Genji held his Wakizashi blade in his left hand with a reverse grip, crouching low by the door leading into the middle cart. Jesse stood across from Genji, raising his left index and middle finger. Jesse gestured to the door, prompting Jantis to raise his left forearm to project an energy shield. Genji watched Jesse raised three fingers, lowering his ring finger and then middle finger. Once Jesse’s index finger was brought down, Jantis bashed the door open with his shoulder, pushing into the room with the energy barrier up to block all the incoming bullets from the two Talon soldiers.

Bringing his right hand back to hold onto the katana strapped on his back, Genji dashed forwards, eyeing the rifle barrels. Angling both his katana and Wakizashi blades, Genji swiftly deflected the flurry of bullets back onto their senders. As the two Talon agents collapsed, Genji straightened himself, sheathing both of his swords. He eyed the bullet holes in the back wall, realizing that he had successfully redirected the bullets. The corners of Genji’s lips lifted slightly under his mask, elated at what he had just done.

Jantis rested his hand on his student’s shoulder, nodding in acknowledgement of Genji’s successful applications of his teachings. Moving towards the door to the rear cart, the knight activated his barrier, breaching into the last room. The three Talon soldiers left were already bunkered down and taking cover behind cargo crates to prepare for the BlackWatch agents. Their bullets were eaten up by Jantis’s barrier; however, five individuals rappelled into the sides of the cart, nonlethally taking down the three Talon soldiers.

This squad of newcomers was some of Volskaya Industries’ personal security force. To combat the naturally cold weather of their country, they were dressed in parka jackets with heavy metal pauldrons and leather vests over top, along with black balaclavas and ushanka hats stamped with the Volskaya Industries logo. Their submachine guns hanging from straps slung onto their shoulders, the VI soldiers got to work zip-tying the Talon agents’ wrists behind their backs.

It was not hard to spot the priority cargo; it was placed right in the middle at the end of the cart. Jesse approached the crate, but was stopped by one of the VI soldiers, undoubtedly the leader from the extra metal armor strapped to his arms and chest.

“It is our duty to protect it,” the VI leader said sternly.

“Well… Two of us here got orders from our boss to guard it,” Jesse replied, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Genji and Jantis.

“This cargo is property of Volskaya Industries,” the VI leader insisted. Jesse briefly glanced at something behind the Volskaya guards before crossing his arms.

“Either you let two of us here or we all jump ship,” Jesse countered.

“We handled this fine ourselves,” the leader pointed out, gesturing to the three Talon agents restrained on the ground.

“That might be right,” Jesse admitted, tilting his head to the side to look at something behind the leader’s back. “Y’all gon have some trouble after that.”

Jesse pulled out his revolver and swiftly shot the three Talon agents tied on the ground. The Volskaya Industries team raised their submachine guns and deactivated their safeties, prompting Jantis to erect his energy shield to protect McCree and Genji. Genji slid his katana an inch from its sheath, preparing to lunge forwards.

“Mudak!” the security team’s leader spat.

“Now, I don’t know what you just said, but I’m sure it was pretty darn rude,” Jesse remarked before pointing to one of the bodies. “And you’re gon need our help, cuz that gentleman right there just called for help.”

The VI leader signalled his comrades to keep an eye on the BlackWatch agents before kneeling down to study the forearm of the body Jesse indicated. Looking back at the cowboy with a glare, the VI leader threw the forearm down, walking up to the energy barrier.

“We work together. But we have our eyes on you,” the VI leader growled. Jesse tapped Jantis’s forearm, signalling him to lower the barrier. Genji hesitated for a moment before sliding his katana back down.

“Nice doin’ business with ya,” Jesse said, tipping his hat to the leader and then turning away. “Agent Adaro and Ainsley, we’ll pick ya up at the marker I sent.”

As their mission leader left, Genji turned back to the Volskaya security team, who were setting up a defensive perimeter around the priority cargo. Exchanging looks with his trainer Jantis, Genji turned towards the door leading into the middle cart, gripping the Wakizashi blade on his lower back as the train powered up and began to roll down the railroad.

* * *

Hanzo walked through the sandy streets with a scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face, holding his metal hand in front of his eyes to shield them from the dust storm. Brushing his left hand along the cracked clay households, Hanzo observed the empty market stalls, furrowing his brow. The street was completely deserted, though Hanzo didn’t entirely blame the citizens. Hanzo was searching through the entire district for the past two hours and the howling storm remained unrelenting throughout the two hours. Hanzo tightened his mouth, wincing as blood flowed from the cracks in his dried lips. Turning away from the wind, Hanzo opened up a connection with Captain Amari.

“There are no civilians in this area, Captain,” Hanzo reported, struggling to make himself audible over the dust devils and behind his scarf.

“Acknowledged, Hanzo. Return to relief camp five,” Ana replied. “Stay safe.”

“Of course,” Hanzo said, closing the connection. Looking at both sides of the street, he contemplated the raging sand storm before ultimately deciding that he would take shelter in one of the abandoned buildings until he could see beyond two metres in front of him. ‘Quiet operation’, she said.

Stumbling through the sand, Hanzo approached a building, bashing the door open with his shoulder. Upon entering, he received a much needed reprieve from the storm. Pressing his back against the claystone wall, he grabbed the gourd from his hip and brought it up to his lips. Taking a small sip to wet his parched throat, Hanzo spotted a picture frame on the counter, walking over and wiping off the grains of sand.

It was a family picture of a father, mother, and son. The parents were clearly fighting to keep themselves from laughing, while the young boy in between them was pulling a ridiculous face for the camera. Hanzo couldn’t help but smile a little at the picture before reminiscing on his own family. Though their father was more lenient than the rest of the elders, he was not a man who tolerated the sort of playfulness the child in the picture displayed. All their family photos were of cold stares and little to no facial expression.

Hanzo remembered when his father would bring Genji away privately, urging his younger son to behave in front of the elders and Genji would always listen. Other times, when their father was absent, the clan elders had to resort to… more direct means of discipline. Hanzo had to be the unfortunate witness to all of it, the elders even proclaiming how Hanzo was always the better son. And yet, despite all of this, Genji’s kindred spirit remained unbroken. The day after, Genji’s energy always bounced right back and the younger Shimada never thought of his brother any less.

Collapsing against the claystone wall, Hanzo bit down on his human hand as he remembered once again what he had almost done to Genji in return for his undying love.

Hanzo had tried to talk to his younger brother, he had tried to make him see that their father would’ve wanted the two of them to rule the Clan together as equals. However, Genji had refused to change his way of life and this disrespect for their father’s wishes, so soon after his grave was laid down, had angered Hanzo immensely. So great was his rage that Genji’s desperate promises to change fell upon deaf ears and Hanzo was too consumed by his emotions that he paid no heed to any of Genji’s words.

Hanzo’s jaw loosened upon hearing something shift in the sand. He clenched his fist, opening the panel on his metal arm and loading an arrow into his bow. Searching the room, Hanzo narrowed his eyes upon spotting a twitching hand protruding from the sand. Crouching down, Hanzo brushed aside a mound of sand and gasped as the sand fell away to reveal a small boy, little more than skin and bones and dressed in torn rags. He couldn’t have been older than nine.

Hanzo set aside his bow and arrow, cradling the boy’s head in his metal hand. Hanzo pressed his left index and middle finger into the boy’s neck to feel his pulse. His pulse was slow, but steady. He was still feebly clinging to life, but was not long for this world if something wasn’t done soon.

Hanzo scooped his left hand underneath the boy’s knees and tried to lift him up. However, the boy whimpered, his hand clenching weakly. Biting his lip, Hanzo set the child down, connecting to Ana’s communicator.

“Captain, I found a survivor in this district. A small boy, I cannot move him without causing pain. I need immediate medical attention here,” Hanzo said.

“Copy that. I’m sending a crew to your location now,” Ana replied. “Just sit tight, Hanzo.”  
Hanzo cut off the channel before he shook the boy’s head lightly. “Stay with me. Help is coming.”

The boy shifted his head to the side to look up at Hanzo.

“Ma… Ma’an...” he gasped weakly. Hanzo eyed the gourd at his belt, hesitating for a moment as he noted his own thirst before popping off the cork and tilting the gourd to gently pour the tea between the child’s lips.

“It’s not water, but it’s all I have,” Hanzo whispered before bringing the gourd away and towards his own lips. Then, the boy coughed dryly, prompting Hanzo to bring the gourd back down to allow the boy another much needed drink. Placing the cork back onto the gourd and setting it down beside them, Hanzo removed his scarf and wrapped it around the child’s mouth and nose. Resting his hand on the frail shoulder, Hanzo took the time to examine his surroundings.

The household itself was quite spacious for its size, though everything was coated in a thin layer of sand from the storm outside. Hanzo looked down at the boy resting his head against the man’s shoulder. The boy had fallen asleep, even shuffling up to snuggle with Hanzo. He was reminded of how Genji would sneak into his room during lightning storms that would pass over Hanamura and Hanzo would sigh before comforting his terrified brother.

Hanzo eyed the family picture once again and then realized that the child beside him was the same boy on the picture. Hanzo eyed the kitchen cupboards, which had the doors in various broken states. What little remained within the cupboards were scattered and strewn across the counters below. The ones who lived in this house certainly spared no time in packing their belongings. Was… Was he abandoned by his parents? Or did his parents succumb to this storm? Either way, there were people who entered this house and looted it without any regard for this starving child. Hanzo felt his lower lip quivering, wondering how long this boy was left here. The pain and fear this boy must’ve felt with little food or water and being alone with little to no hope for rescue. Hanzo shook his head abruptly, wondering why he was having such a reaction to a single, starving child.

‘ _Do not give into your emotions. The clan is unforgiving to any weakness,’_

Hanzo gritted his teeth, shaking his head. To hell with the Clan, he was tired of being influenced by them. To hell with their principles. They declared him dead and for all he knew, the Clan no longer cared. Hanzo hugged the child a little tighter upon hearing distant talking from outside. Hanzo shuffled his left hand to grab his bow, preparing for the incoming voices. However, he relaxed upon recognizing the voices. The door swung open to admit Dr. Ziegler, two relief workers, and Bayless.

“Eesh, you look pretty banged up, hombre,” Bayless commented.

“Bayless, not the time,” Dr. Ziegler scolded, tucking her chin in behind the scarf as she knelt down and raised her staff, trailing a yellow beam from the end to the boy’s stomach. Hanzo felt the child twitch before the boy raised his head and his eyes widened upon seeing Dr. Ziegler healing him.

“Ma...Malak…” the boy breathed out. Dr. Ziegler smiled warmly, holding her hand out to the boy. Hanzo raised his hand from the child’s shoulder as the boy reached out to Dr. Ziegler’s hand, taking it. The boy was pulled to his feet into the arms of one of the relief workers before being laid upon a hover stretcher. A breather mask was placed over the child’s mouth to provide filtered oxygen into his lungs and a plasma barrier powered up to provide clean airspace around the child. Hanzo stood up from the wall, grabbing his bow and walking to the stretcher. Dr. Ziegler rested a hand on his chest, stopping him.

“Mr. Shimada, you’ve done more than enough,” Dr. Ziegler reassured.

“Will he be all right?” Hanzo asked, staring at the boy on the stretcher.

“He’ll be fine, thanks to you,” Dr. Ziegler replied with a smile. Hanzo was much too concerned for the child to be flustered in front of Dr. Ziegler. However, with Dr. Ziegler’s reassurance, Hanzo relaxed.

“I will stay here a little longer, see if I can find anyone else,” Hanzo said. Dr. Ziegler nodded understandably.

“Of course, I will meet you back at relief camp five,” Dr. Ziegler replied, resting her hand on his cheek. Once the relief team had left the house, Hanzo took the gourd from his sash and sipped from what little tea remained before continuing on his second run through his district.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mudak = asshole/dickhead in Russian  
> Ma'an = water in Arabic  
> Malak = angel in Arabic  
> Hombre = man in Spanish


	9. Chapter 9

_ ‘Click’. ‘Click’. ‘Click’. _

Genji didn’t bother to turn to see who it was. There was no mistaking it. Rubbing his temple, Genji growled in frustration as the clicking persisted. He could never get used to the noise and Jesse knew it, which was why he persisted. Genji attempted to ignore the lighter, watching the rock ceiling moving overhead as the train wheeled down the tracks. He had moved to the small platform at the back of the last train cart to keep a lookout for any attack from the rear. In the past three hours, there had been no notable change whatsoever. The clicking grew louder as Jesse approached before he ceased his irritating habit. 

“Nothin’ new?” Jesse commented. 

“Clearly. If there was, you would’ve heard about it,” Genji said dryly, rolling his eyes. However, because he was wearing his Oni mask, this went unnoticed by his commanding officer. 

“Eesh, aren’t ya a bright ray of sunshine,” Jesse remarked, clicking his lighter once more. Genji inhaled sharply before shaking his head to scold himself. Spending much of the mission with his temper flared up would not fare well if his trainer reported to Commander Reyes. This was a chance to prove that he was ready to face the Clan.

“I have this area, Agent McCree,” Genji finally said, only giving Jesse a quick glance. Shielding the lighter’s flame with a cupped hand, Jesse lit the tip of his cigar before puffing out a cloud of smoke right at Genji’s face. Scowling, Genji waved the smoke away.

“Here to check up on ya,” Jesse replied.

“I’m fine,” Genji grunted. The muscles in his neck were tightened as he fought to display some modicum of respect to the cowboy.

“Ya seem pretty worked up there,” Jesse pointed out.

“We’re on a mission, of course I am,” Genji retorted.

“Ya need to settle down a bit after this,” Jesse advised, tilting his hat up to give his fellow agent a small half-smile. Genji scratched his forehead, finding it increasingly difficult to focus on keeping a lookout, “The boys and I are havin’ a… drink when we get back. Ya up fer it?”

Genji was originally going to refuse this offer before he stopped himself. Jesse would insist until the offer was accepted. He might as well end the ridiculous argument before it started and figure out how to avoid the subsequent gathering later. 

“Very well,” Genji replied, rolling his shoulders. 

“What? Just like that?” Jesse asked, surprised at his quick agreement.

“Yes,” Genji said curtly. 

“Uh huh. Right. Ya sound real excited fer it,” Jesse noted, stopping for a moment to take a drag from his cigar.

“Agent McCree, we are on a mission right now,” Genji reminded. God, this cowboy was persistent! Genji considered asking Commander Reyes to put a muzzle on this man. At the very least, the Commander should assign Genji to separate missions from Jesse. Being on the same mission as this irritant was taking a toll on Genji’s state of mind. Rubbing his pounding temple, Genji turned his head to look right at Jesse in the eyes. “I’ll come, Jesse.”

“Not too soon, darlin’,” Jesse remarked with a cocky smirk and hands on his hips as he studied Genji’s mask. 

“Can you not?” Genji snapped. “I said I’ll co- I’ll attend.”

“Hmm… Guess that’ll do. Keep an eye out, alright? See ya round, Gen,” Jesse finally said, clicking his tongue and winking before he strolled back into the train cart. Genji let out the sigh of relief he’d been holding back until Jesse’s leave. Merely looking at him sparked some sort of negative response. Genji breathed in slowly and deeply to temper his anger. Leveling his head proved to be good timing too.

“Oi, McCree. I got three jets inbound. Seven o’clock, about three hundred meters,” Agent Ainsley reported over comms. 

Genji perked his head up, a hand flying to the handle of each blade he had on his person. He looked in the reported direction, seeing three black specks in the distance approaching.

“Anything else?” Jesse prompted, joining the channel.

“Nothing else. Going to have a guess that there’s about a dozen on each jet,” Agent Ainsley surmised, “They really want whatever’s in that red box.” 

“Alright, that red box there’s priority one. Adaro and Wiegand, positions in the last cart with the VI boys,” Jesse ordered, “Ainsley and Shimada on the roof. Ainsley, take those jets down. Shimada, give ‘im cover.” 

Genji climbed up the cart and onto the top, crouching low to steady himself. Agent Ainsley was kneeling down on one leg and facing the jets closing in, taking positions atop the middle cart. As Genji approached, Agent Ainsley looked over his shoulder, hoisting the barrel of his launcher onto said shoulder. 

“Keep that deflection game going. Alright, mate?” Agent Ainsley said, the blue visors rotating in place as he focused on the approaching aircraft. 

“Of course,” Genji replied, nodding despite his own uncertainty. There was no time for doubts right now. Agent Ainsley was depending on him to protect him. Genji stepped over to take his place behind his fellow agent, holding both his katana and Wakizashi blades in reverse grips. 

Resting one hand on the trigger and the other on top of the barrel, Agent Ainsley leaned his cheek on the launcher, focusing through the scope. 

“Might want to step to the side. Backblast and all,” Agent Ainsley advised, prompting Genji to do so quickly. Genji flinched as a rocket flew out from the end of the launcher, speeding towards the Talon jet in the middle. The rocket collapsed to unleash a dozen smaller rockets. The jets swerved to avoid the projectiles, but the right wing of the left aircraft was directly hit. It spiralled out of control and crashed onto the ground, exploding upon impact. 

“Well done,” Genji praised, nodding as he patted Agent Ainsley’s shoulder. However, the agent was far from assured. 

“Don’t know, mate. Something doesn’t seem right. Talon jets don’t just blow up like that so easily,” Agent Ainsley commented before winding one of the circular visors on his goggles while looking at the two jets settling back into formation. “Hold on, those aren’t jets...” 

Before Genji could demand as to what Ainsley discovered, the train rocked violently, causing Genji to go down on all fours to maintain his balance. The unmistakeable sound of a spinning gun barrel whirred from below.

“We got another Talon jet down here!” Jantis reported over comms.

Before Genji could move to investigate, he looked over his shoulder to see a much larger jet materialize out of thin air as if it deactivated some sort of cloaking device. Upon sight of the gun barrel lowering from the underbelly of the aircraft, Genji stepped in front of Ainsley right into the direct line of fire. The young ninja crossed both blades, readying himself. When the flurry of bullets came, Genji twirled his swords in hand, redirecting the bullets back to the jet. However, the bullets merely glanced off the metal armor. 

Nonetheless, he had bought just enough time for Agent Ainsley to load and fire another multi-rocket. As the rocket sped towards the jet, Genji mistimed one of his swings, causing half a dozen bullets to shred into his right leg. His knee buckled and he dropped both of his weapons to clutch at his knee. The swords clattered and fell over the edge, but Genji was far too busy attempting to muscle through the pain. Through his blurred vision, he saw the rockets make contact and bring down the Talon jet.

“Shimada’s injured! Those three jets were decoy drones!” Agent Ainsley roared into his comms, tying a cloth tight around Genji’s thigh before wrapping more cloth around his knee. Genji cried out as the cloth touched his wounds. “There’s another one by your position, Wiegand and Adaro!” 

“We’re going to need your support, Ainsley! Barrier won’t last forever!” Jantis replied. The sound of a spinning gun barrel whirred from below them, confirming Ainsley’s report. 

Something grabbed him underneath his shoulders, dragging him for only a brief moment before Genji gritted his teeth to restrain his screams. He was promptly set down onto the ground. When the hands fell away, Genji leaned back up on his elbows, fighting against the burning pain as he pulled himself up. He couldn’t falter now. He had to show that he was ready to face the Clan. His growing frustration boiled inside him, stirring something within the young Shimada. Genji then felt the pain suddenly fall away, leaving only a numbing sensation. He stood up with little difficulty before a hand rested on his shoulder, pushing him down.

“Agent Shimada, you should stay down,” Agent Ainsley advised. Genji shrugged the hand off, dashing across the roof and then leaping off. “Shimada!”

Landing on the jet firing upon the inside of the last cart, the aircraft dipped down from the sudden weight. Something burned on Genji’s shoulders and left arm. Ripping off the sleeve that was already being torn to pieces by the dragon tattoos glowing green on his left upper arm, Genji pulled his left fist back.

“ _ Ryūjin no ken o kurae! _ ” Genji roared, two green spirit dragons circling his shoulder before spiraling towards his wrist. He tore his fist through the Talon jet’s cockpit and straight into the pilot, the force of said punch breaking the pilot’s neck and immediately causing internal decapitation. However such power also brought the jet down to the ground. A third spirit dragon emerged from between his shoulders, coiling around Genji’s legs.

“Agent Shimada, get the hell back here!” Jantis ordered from behind. Looking over his shoulder, Genji pushed off of the jet, soaring through the air and landing back into the cart.  The jet skidded across the rocky ground and scattered shrapnel in every direction. Genji was pulled by Agent Adaro behind Jantis’s energy shield, which ate up the oncoming shrapnel and rocks. Getting to his feet, Genji then ducked as the barrier suddenly shattered, allowing the small debris to fly through the cart. Hugging his stomach against the floor, Genji covered his head with his hands, watching the shards of metal tear through the cart before turning his head back towards the floor to guard his face. It was only after a few long seconds that the immediate danger had passed.

“Clear!” Agent Adaro reported. With that, the individuals in the cart raised their heads and got to their feet. There were two Volskaya guards lying dead on the floor, their bodies riddled with bullets. The remaining four others were checking up on their guns and ammunition. Turning to his fellow BlackWatch agents, Genji saw no notable injuries on Jantis, though his trainer was rubbing his left forearm since the energy barrier was destroyed. Agent Adaro had a few shrapnel pieces stabbed into him, but due to his Omnic body, he was relatively unaffected by it.

“Don’t get too comfy now! Gon’ need some help here in the middle!” Jesse said. Shaking himself off, Genji looked down upon seeing the hilt of a curved dagger pressed against his chest. Jantis was looking at his student with concern. 

“Agent Shimada, you should hang back,” the knight advised. 

“I’m fine,” Genji said stubbornly, taking the knife. Jantis didn’t bother arguing further. There was simply no time to do so. He followed after Jantis, who flexed his fingers and clenched them against his palm before the knight raised his left forearm to project a new energy shield. Agent Adaro seemed to retain full mobility somehow, pulling out two pistols despite the significant damage to his body from the shrapnel. Genji looked over his shoulder to see the Volskaya soldiers staying behind to protect the red cargo. Kicking open the door, Jantis pushed into the middle cart.

Their commanding officer, Jesse, was ducking behind a supply crate, a small wisp of smoke trailing from the cigar trapped between his teeth. 

“‘Bout time. Took ya boys long nuff,” Jesse greeted, tipping his hat before standing up once he was behind the shield. Agent Adaro raised both of his pistols and fired, causing the Talon soldiers on the other end of the cart to cease fire and take cover. 

Genji lunged forwards, the curved dagger in hand. When two Talon soldiers rose up and took aim, they were immediately dispatched by either Jesse or Adaro; he didn’t know or care as he vaulted over the crate to fall upon the Talon agent taking cover behind it. Slitting the dagger across the soldier’s throat, Genji turned and swiped the knife across the back of the knee of another soldier, cutting across the chest as the soldier fell. Genji then grabbed a third Talon agent to use him as a shield against a flurry of bullets from the last hostile. Then, this very Talon operative let out a guttural scream as a large broadsword pierced through his chest from behind. Jantis kicked the twitching body off of his sword, flicking the blade to shake off the blood.

“Nice going, Gen,” Jesse praised, tipping his hat off to Genji before grimacing a little. “But you might want to keep note of one thing.”

“Oh? And what would that be?” Genji snapped, scowling underneath his mask. Jesse dipped his head down a bit, nodding to something behind Genji. 

Looking over his shoulder, Genji reeled his head back as a cylindrical grenade flew right at him, only to be grabbed mid-flight by Agent Adaro. The Omnic casually tossed the explosive out of the cart, while Jesse shot the offending Talon operative in the head. Genji examined the operative, seeing that the slash across the chest was barely a graze against the metal armor. 

“Try to confirm the kill next time,” Jesse advised, winking at Genji before moving back to the last cart.

Once the fight was all over, Genji became aware of his own physical state and the energy he gained from summoning his dragons quickly waned away. Falling to his knee, the pain in his injured left leg slowly came back. The energy gained from holding three dragons within him was overwhelming, but it was undeniably powerful. Struggling to stand up despite his injuries, Genji stared at his left hand, which held no noticeable tears in the skin from punching through solid glass and metal. Such power would definitely give him the edge over the Clan. He knew he was ready. He had to be. 

Genji looked up to see his trainer Jantis holding a hand out to his student. Hesitating for a moment, Genji took the hand gratefully, being pulled up to his feet. However, his left knee buckled from a sharp sting that occurred when Genji put pressure on his injured leg. Jantis grabbed Genji and slung his arm around the knight’s neck. 

“Don’t make too many sudden movements,” Jantis advised as he led Genji back into the last cart. Genji said nothing, but did nod in acknowledgement to Jantis’s advice and his help.

Both teacher and student moved into the last cart, where all four remaining Volskaya guards had established a protective circle around the red crate. 

“We’re approaching our destination, mates. Sit tight,” Agent Ainsley reported from the roof above them. “I see no hostiles in the area, so it’ll be easy cruising.”

“Good to hear,” Jesse replied, nodding before approaching Jantis and Genji. “Ya gon’ be alright, Gen?” 

“I’ll be fine,” Genji grunted. However, as the train began to slow down, Jantis stumbled slightly, forcing Genji to lean on his bad leg to maintain his balance. Genji growled under his breath as the cloth wrapped around his leg soaked red. 

“That’s what I thought,” Jesse acknowledged, nodding as he gestured to one of the Volskaya soldiers. “Take care of that, would ya?” 

“... Of course,” the Volskaya guard replied after some hesitation, nodding as Jantis set Genji down onto the ground. Genji watched as the Volskaya medic removed the bloodied wraps and uncapped a small bottle. “I won’t lie, this will hurt like fuck.” 

Jantis held his hand out to his student, prompting Genji to hold onto said hand. As the bottle poured a clear liquid onto his wounds, every single muscle in his body went rigid as the liquid burned upon contact. Genji bit his lower lip and clutched at his trainer’s gauntlet as the Volskaya medic placed clean, white wraps around Genji's leg. Jantis held his student down to keep him still. 

“Keep pressure on that wound,” the medic advised before looking out the side of the cart as the train finally skidded to a stop. Letting out a choked sob, Genji almost fell unconscious as Jantis pressed his hand on the wraps, stemming the flow of blood. 

“Deep breaths, Genji,” Jantis murmured. Genji followed his trainer’s advice, feeling his vision slowly clear up and attempting to ignore the searing pain from his bullet wounds. He looked up to see Jesse knelt down in front of him.

“Just take it easy, alright?” Jesse said, looking at Genji with some concern.

“I’ll… be fine…” Genji grunted, sitting up against the wall. Jesse sighed, bowing his head before nodding slowly and then stepping off of the cart.

“All right, boys. Let’s make this quick,” Jesse called out, twirling his index finger. Agent Adaro followed their commanding officer, while Agent Ainsley jumped off of the roof of the cart to follow Jesse. The four Volskaya soldiers each grabbed a corner of the red crate and hauled it away. Jantis stood up slowly before looking at his student worriedly.

“I’ll be fine, Jantis,” Genji reassured, grabbing onto Jantis’s forearm and pulling himself up. After swaying around in place for a moment, Genji limped after his trainer, climbing down from the cart and then following Jantis to join his BlackWatch squad. 

They were in a warehouse of sorts, though it was completely empty, save the Volskaya guards stationed in the middle. Jesse was busy talking with a Volskaya captain, who was flanked by three Volskaya soldiers. The captain then caught sight of the red crate and nodded, turning away to make contact with someone in his earpiece.

Taking care not to lean on his injured leg, Genji observed his own BlackWatch squad. Agent Ainsley was watching the Volskaya soldiers carefully, his thumb drumming against the side of his launcher. Agent Adaro was merely staring at the shrapnel embedded into his chest, even poking it a few times before he winced at a few sparks and ceased his prodding. Jantis was also studying the soldiers, though he occasionally glanced at Genji to check up on his welfare. Jesse himself had his arms crossed, his index finger tapping on his forearm. A fresh cigar hung from his lips, though it remained unlit.

The Russian soldiers suddenly stood to attention, saluting to someone behind them. The BlackWatch team looked over to see Katya Volskaya herself stepping up to them, followed by another dozen soldiers as well as two heavy mechs. 

“Howdy, Ms. Volskaya. Lookin’ as fine as ever,” Jesse greeted, tipping his hat off to her. 

“Spare me the charm, Mr. McCree. Do you have the cargo?” Katya snapped. Jesse frowned slightly and it was clear that he wanted to remark how rude she was. Nevertheless, Jesse decided to shift over to professionalism. 

“Package’s right there, Missus,” Jesse replied, gesturing to the red crate. Katya narrowed her eyes at the cowboy before solemnly stepping up to the crate with her hands clasped behind her back. When Katya jerked her head towards the cargo, two Volskaya soldiers pried open the crate with metal crowbars.

Inside said cargo was a man in his senior years, wrists bound together by a zip-tie. His voice was muffled underneath the tape strapped over his mouth, panicking for a moment before relaxing upon seeing Katya and the guards. 

It was Grigori Volskaya, the CEO of Volskaya Industries himself. After the soldiers relieved Grigori of his restraints, Genji caught the smallest hints of a smile from Katya as Grigori expressed his gratitude to his daughter. Then, Katya hardened her resolve, only having a stern frown as she turned back towards Jesse and his team. 

“Thank you,” Katya acknowledged, giving them a small smile before pulling out a pistol and shooting her father right in the head. The Volskaya soldiers held no response to this blatant display of murder, but the BlackWatch agents, on the other hand, were taken by complete surprise. Genji stared at Grigori Volskaya, who fell back and slumped in the crate with brain matter and blood dripping from the bullet hole on his forehead.

“Jesus…” Jesse muttered, adjusting his hat as he stared at the body. “W-Why’d you just do that, Ms. Volskaya?”

“My father would’ve never agreed to the deal between Reyes and I,” Katya explained coldly. “I am a woman of my word. You have our weapons and any future technology we will develop.” 

“I-I… Thank you, Ms. Volskaya. Pleasure doin’ business with ya,” Jesse said, clearing his throat before stepping away to open a channel to Commander Reyes. Genji watched Katya nod curtly to Jesse before shouting a command to her soldiers. Carrying the red crate out with the body, they dispersed from the warehouse, quickly leaving the area. Genji was still shocked by the callous patricide and the cold dismissal afterwards. This shady deal made Genji doubt his decision to join BlackWatch before he decided to ignore his misgivings. 

What mattered was the Clan. If fortune favored him today, his performance during this mission would at the very least merit some consideration. Genji looked down at his left forearm, eyeing the dragon tattoos etched onto the skin. With three dragons housed within him, he had more than a chance against the Clan. He was more than ready.

* * *

Sitting cross-legged on the roof of an abandoned building, Hanzo tapped the cork of his gourd with his thumb, observing the crowd of starved refugees being ushered through the street by relief workers. Government soldiers were forming a riot shield wall at the entrance to the Temple, controlling the flow of refugees. However, it was clear that the unrelenting wave of civilians was overwhelming the relief workers, steadily pushing the riot shield wall further back into the temple.

Rows of refugees on stretchers were laid out along the temple’s path, being tended to by medical workers. Hanzo stood up as he saw a line of soldiers march up behind the wall with tear gas launchers, raising their weapons to fire upon the crowd. Hanzo clenched his right fist, the metal panel opening up on his forearm. Loading an arrow into his bow, Hanzo breathed in deeply, pulling back on the bowstring before coughing hoarsely when cold air rushed into his lungs. He doubled over, shooting the arrow into the wall to the left of him. 

Hanzo’s knees buckled, digging the nails of his right hand into the synthetic skin of his chest as he reached his left hand for the gourd he had laid down earlier. Popping off the cork with shaking fingers, Hanzo brought the container to his mouth, only having a small droplet of medicinal tea reach his lips. This small drop did nothing to help the burning chill in his chest. Hanzo attempted to shake any tea from the gourd before grimacing and setting the empty container down. He looked up to see the soldiers were loading tear gas canisters into their guns before Dr. Ziegler stepped in front of them alongside two other relief workers, Al-Farouk, and Ana. They were sharing some words with the armed guards, prompting them to stand down.

Relief camp one was stationed in the Temple of Anubis, which turned out to be a huge mistake as the religious landmark attracted many of the refugees, straining the camp’s supplies. Many of them weren’t injured or in need of medical attention at all; they had come to the camp to pray at the temple instead. All the OverWatch agents were called in to help control the crowd. Hanzo had requested to be deployed to relief camp five to check on the boy he had rescued, but because relief camp one was closer, Dr. Ziegler had advised Hanzo to follow the order and avoid heavy exertion due to the absence of his medicinal tea.

“Dr. Ziegler, do you need assistance?” Hanzo asked over his earpiece.

“No, please stay back, Mr. Shimada. We can handle this,” Dr. Ziegler said curtly. It looked like Dr. Ziegler was preoccupied with attempting to lower hostilities between the government soldiers and the advancing refugees. Hanzo decided that he would assist Dr. Ziegler anyways after he checked up on the boy at relief camp five.

Strapping the gourd against his hip and his bow against his back, Hanzo climbed down the building and settled into an alley separated from the main street. Making his way to the gate into relief camp one, he slipped past the armed government workers who were busy with admitting the citizens into the camp at a semi-controlled pace. 

Hanzo continued along the path to relief camp five, pulling up his scarf to shield his nose and mouth from the buffeting sandstorm. He took care to keep his breaths shallow to alleviate the cold pain in his chest. Walking up the small hill, Hanzo shielded his eyes with his metal hand against the gusts that blasted against his body, focusing on the walled camp in the distance. He saw the armed guards standing at the gate, though Hanzo noted that they seemed a little… unusual in their mannerisms. Unlike the other guards, these two were conversing with each other instead of focusing on guarding the entrance. As he approached them, they immediately stopped their conversation and one of the guards raised his hand to halt Hanzo.

“Relief camp five is locked down at the current moment,” the soldier reported.   
“For what reason?” Hanzo asked, furrowing his brow. 

“There’s been an small outbreak within the camp. We’ve been ordered to quarantine the area,” the soldier answered. “Only a select few are permitted inside.”

“I am Hanzo Shimada, I believe I am permitted inside,” Hanzo said with conviction. The two guards exchanged looks before one of them turned away from him, communicating with someone in his earpiece and then saying Hanzo’s name. The guard then lowered his hand from his head, nodding to Hanzo. 

“Master Shimada, you are perm-” the guard said before he stopped himself. The other soldier turned his head abruptly to look at his partner. Hanzo knew only a few people, or rather a certain group, would refer to him as  _ ‘Master Shimada’ _ . With those two words, Hanzo instinctively grabbed the shoulder of the closest guard, pulling him into a palm-strike. Hanzo’s metal hand cracked the soldier’s visor, sending him back into the wall. Turning around, Hanzo held onto the lower curve of the bow, swinging the upper half into the other guard’s head to knock his helmet off. As the soldier fell to the ground, Hanzo pressed the bow’s grip against the man’s neck, pinning him down. Hanzo felt anger boiling within him at the discovery of their presence here.

“What is the Clan doing here??” Hanzo demanded, 

“To... Teach a… A lesson,” the man grunted, attempting to pry the bow off from his neck. 

“Lesson? What lesson?” Hanzo pressed. 

“T-Tumaini…” the man spat. 

“Tumaini? Who is Tumaini?” Hanzo growled, digging the bow deeper into the man’s skin. 

“B-Boy you r-rescued…” the man choked out, his eyes starting to roll back as his air was being cut off. Hanzo gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body screaming at him to suffocate this man. Then, he brought the bow away, giving a swift punch to the temple with his human hand to knock the guard out.

Hanzo walked briskly into the camp. He raised his metal arm to halt a katana, snapping off the blade when it made contact. He then swiped the side of his fist into the attacker’s temple before looking to his left to see a suited man rush with a katana. Hanzo raised his bow to block the overhead swing before twisting the curve of the bow around the attacker’s arm. Straining the man’s elbow, he was forced to drop his sword. Hanzo then wrapped his metal forearm around the man’s neck, taking a brief moment to examine the back of the neck. A tattoo of two dragons circling each other was painted onto the skin. Hanzo’s words caught in his throat after he took a closer look at the camp.

All the refugees in the camp were lying motionless across the entire field, the sandstorm already covering some of them. Hanzo caught sight of a few soldiers and relief workers among the bodies. Pools of blood had soaked the ground, streaks of darkened sand trailing from the bodies. What was the point of all of this? What lesson could justify this needless slaughter? Hanzo grinded his teeth as he squeezed the man’s neck tighter.

“Where are the rest?” Hanzo hissed into the man’s ear. The Shimada assassin said nothing in response, though he did twitch his head towards one particular building. Drawing an arrow from his metal forearm, Hanzo fired it into the wall, where it projected near-invisible sonic waves from the tip. Three glowing red shapes were revealed on the third floor, one of them being slightly larger than the rest. 

Tightening his hold on the man's neck, Hanzo threw aside the assassin when he fell unconscious before storming into the building, taking the gourd from his sash and attempting to drink from it. When no tea flowed from the container, Hanzo growled in frustration, throwing the gourd aside as he walked up the steps. Hanzo readied another arrow from the wheel in his metal forearm, raising his bow to take aim as he entered the room. He faltered for only a moment, but what he saw only strengthened his resolve. 

Two suited men were standing on opposite sides of the room, sheathed katanas at their sides. In the middle was one in heavy metal armor, fashioned after a samurai warrior. Dark blue lines glowed along the surface, pulsating rhythmically as if it was a heartbeat. The twin dragons of the Shimada Clan swirled perpetually on the samurai’s chestplate. But the finer details were lost on Hanzo as he eyed the individual being held by the samurai’s arm. 

“What is the meaning of this? What lesson needed all those lives lost?” Hanzo exclaimed upon recognizing the hostage as the boy he had rescued earlier. 

“A week ago, you would not have cared for those lives,” the samurai pointed out before shaking his head with a sigh. “The elders are most displeased, Master Shimada.”

“That is not who I am anymore,” Hanzo retorted, drawing back the bowstring. 

“It is your destiny, Master Shimada. It always has been since you came into this world,” the samurai pressed. 

“My destiny lies with my brother! Not the Clan!” Hanzo shot back. 

“And yet you tried to kill him. You know where your path leads, even if you do not realize it yourself,” the samurai pointed out. 

“That does not-” Hanzo started before stopping himself. This was all irrelevant and a waste of time. Instead, he focused on the more pressing matter. “Let the boy go. He has nothing to do with us.” 

“On the contrary, Master Shimada. He will help us teach our lesson,” the samurai replied before leaning his head down. “How is that, Tumaini? Would you like to help Master Shimada?” 

The boy whimpered and turned his head away from the Shimada assassin, prompting the samurai to lightly chuckle.

“He’s a little shy, but he’ll come through with a little motivation,” the samurai reassured before unsheathing a long katana blade from his back and pressing the edge against the boy’s neck. Hanzo shuffled forward a step, aiming at the samurai’s visor. He wasn’t sure whether the arrow would even dent the armor, given his non-lethal weaponry, but he would not stand by and submit to this ‘lesson’ of theirs. 

“You are not long for life,” Hanzo said scathingly. 

‘“Oh, Master Shimada. That is not a way to address your teacher,” the samurai crooned, tilting his head to the side. Hanzo let loose the arrow, which bounced harmlessly off the samurai’s shoulder. “Have you degraded to playing with toys now? How far you have fallen.”

“Let. Him. Go,” Hanzo growled, nocking another arrow into the bowstring. 

“Only if you attend the lesson,” the samurai declared.

“I will never submit to such ridiculous-” Hanzo snapped. 

“I see your pride persists. Perhaps there is hope for you,” the samurai interrupted pressing the blade against Tumaini’s neck and drawing a thin red line. Hanzo gritted his teeth before lowering his bow after much difficult deliberation. 

“Very well, what is it you wish to teach me?” Hanzo said in a strained voice, attempting to sound polite. 

“It is a lesson you are quite familiar with. Your own father said it to you,” the samurai explained, nodding. “It was his final words.”

Hanzo stopped for a moment, remembering those words perfectly. He breathed as deeply as he could without any burning pain. His head started to clear and his anger subsided only to where it did not blind him to rationality.

‘ _ Do not give into your emotions. The clan is unforgiving to any weakness,’ _

“Very well,” Hanzo said slowly, nodding. “What do you wish of me now?” 

“Excellent work. It is good to see you have not renounced your father’s teachings,” the samurai acknowledged. “Now comes the final test to pass this lesson.”

The samurai slid the blade across the boy’s throat. Tumaini clutched at the bright red smile on his neck, gurgling as blood flowed into his lungs. Collapsing onto his knees and struggling to breath, the boy curled up on the ground, a red pool darkening the sand. Hanzo did not even bother to draw an arrow, charging at the samurai and swinging his bow instead. 

The samurai sighed, grabbing the bow before it made contact and pried it from Hanzo’s hand. The assassin then backhanded Hanzo into the ground and then stabbed his long katana blade into Hanzo’s left calf as he fell, pinning him down. Hanzo clawed at the sand, screaming out as the sword sliced through the wires serving as his nervous system. His attempts to keep himself still had failed as sparks flew from his cybernetic leg, causing the limb to spasm. Hanzo felt something grab his hair and pull his head back. Through his blurred vision, he saw the Shimada assassin looking down at him through the helmet’s glowing blue visor. 

“What… What happened to you, Master Shimada? Robotic arm and legs?” the samurai asked before he laughed cruelly as he threw Hanzo’s head down. “No… Did your brother actually best you in battle? How pathetic.”

With those words, Hanzo felt something stir within him, granting him the energy to pull himself forward and free his leg from the katana at the cost of a long tear from the side of his calf. Turning over onto his back, Hanzo coughed as the samurai stomped on his chest. When he attempted to pry the foot off, a sharp edge pressed against his elbow. 

“And where are your dragons, ‘Master’ Shimada?” the assassin asked before laughing as he stepped away from Hanzo. “Perhaps the elders made a mistake in ordering your brother’s death. Perhaps he should become Master instead.”

Hanzo struggled to sit up, wincing when his open cut scraped against the sand. He dragged himself across the room, biting his lip to stop himself from screaming out. He would not give this assassin the satisfaction. Hanzo collapsed against the wall, leaning his back against it. The very air he breathed in was cold and dry, wracking his throat with pain. He struggled to stay conscious before he reeled his head back as the assassin held the limp Tumaini’s head in front of Hanzo’s face. Hanzo craned his neck to look away, but the samurai merely held a bundle of Hanzo’s long black hair and forcing his head back towards the boy’s body. He closed his eyes before they were pried open.

“Look upon this, Master Shimada,” the samurai whispered, tilting Tumaini’s head to force Hanzo to look upon the lifeless eyes. “Tell me what you feel.”

Hanzo said nothing, holding nothing but loathing towards this assassin. This much was clear from the burning glare Hanzo shot at the samurai. The assassin noticed this and sighed in disappointment, throwing aside Tumaini’s body. 

“Clearly you feel something. Perhaps more practice is needed,” the samurai suggested, tapping his chin as he threw Hanzo back against the wall. "Perhaps your friends in relief camp one could suffice. Let's start with the doctor, hm?"

Hanzo clenched his left fist, the arm shaking with barely contained anger. The assassin stomped this arm onto the ground and grinded his boot against it. Amidst the pain, a burning sensation enveloped his arm, feeling as if many hot knives were sinking slowly into his skin. Hanzo screamed out, his voice cracking from his dry throat. The assassin stepped off, allowing Hanzo’s left arm to spasm uncontrollably. 

Then, the pain suddenly fell away, prompting Hanzo to double over with his eyes shut tightly. Hanzo’s breath actually warped the air with its heat as he kept his head bowed. Vibrating slightly, Hanzo raised his head slowly, feeling his temples pulse rhythmically. When he made eye contact with the Shimada warriors, they backed up a few steps.

“H-Han- Master Shimada?” the samurai asked, gripping his long katana tightly. 

Hanzo said nothing, standing up slowly. The large gouge out of his left leg spewed sparks from his movement, but he did not even register the pain. Hanzo loosened his fingers, his fingers twitching. Hanzo breathed in deeply, feeling only hot air flood his chest instead of the usual cold chill. 

“ _ Ryu ga waga teki wo kurau!”  _ Hanzo roared, suddenly raising his open hand towards the three Shimada assassins. Red, glowing jaws surged forth from his arm, latching onto the necks of the two suited men. Before Hanzo’s very eyes, their skins wrinkled and sank into their bodies, hair falling away and then disintegrating into thin air. In the end, only skin and bones remained and the withered bodies crumpled to the ground. 

Hanzo then lowered his arm before he advanced on the samurai. The remaining assassin collected his nerve and swung his katana towards Hanzo’s head. However, Hanzo merely raised his hand, his human hand, to catch the blade in his fingers. Blood flowing from between his fingers, Hanzo snapped the blade off before punching the samurai in the side of the head. Such was the power of his punch that the metal helmet caved in and instantly killed the assassin through concussive force. 

However, still seething with rage, Hanzo gripped the samurai’s collar, repeatedly punching the Shimada crest on the chestplate. He felt something wrap around his metal arm, empowering it as Hanzo repeatedly pummelled the swirling dragon symbol, a symbol that he once held great pride for. But now, there was nothing he hated more than it.

Ribs cracked, organs ruptured, but the crest still remained strong against his blows. Hanzo brought his fist back, screaming his rage out as he punched straight through the body. With some difficulty, Hanzo pulled his fist away from the body, dragging out flesh and blood with it. Remains of whatever organs were left scattered across the sand. 

Hanzo stumbled back, throwing down the body as his left leg buckled, the pain of his injured leg now returning. He stared at all the bodies in the room and the shattered family crest. As he gained clarity, Hanzo focused on the mutilated corpses. He clamped his left hand over his mouth, gagging before turning away from the gruesome sight and retching onto the floor. Hanzo closed his eyes as he broke down, his chest shaking as he threw up again. He raised his shaking metal arm, which was stained with red and coated with bits of flesh. His breath deteriorating into shaking sobs, Hanzo slowly slid down the wall, curling up as he clutched at the sides of his head, digging his nails deep as he wept for what he had done and he had failed to do.


	10. Chapter 10

Having returned to Watchpoint Gibraltar in the last hour, Angela was disturbed to say the least. She couldn’t quite shake off the sight of the massacred refugees in relief camp five, their bodies riddled with slashes and cuts. What burned in her mind’s eye more prominently were the disfigured corpses found in one of the houses. Unlike the refugees, these corpses were siphoned of any essence of life. No human being in existence could ever do such a thing.

At least, that was what she initially thought.

She was one of the first individuals to find Hanzo in the very same room as the mutilated bodies. Finding him weak and injured, yet conscious, she treated his injuries as best as she could. All he could ever say aside from choked sobs was a weak apology before he broke down once again. The cause of his distress seemed obvious; Angela had found Tumaini with his throat slit.

At first, Angela suspected Hanzo might have had a part in the state of the corpses, but she immediately dismissed this possibility. He was a man who stayed by his own principles, these principles being to preserve all life. Such values were shared by many individuals in OverWatch, but few truly embodied those values. They embraced OverWatch’s militaristic approach to peacekeeping, being so caught up in the heroics that they never realize the consequences of their actions and methods. Yes, Hanzo did ask her for new weapons implants, but his direct request for nonlethal weapons made her decision easier. Granted, Hanzo only asked for these weapons to protect his own brother, which gave Angela a great deal of respect for him. It took much effort to accept one’s actions and attempt to atone for them. Nonetheless, Angela still felt uneasy when she remembered the scene she had walked into. Hanzo couldn’t have killed those men… Could he?

Angela held up her ID card to the scanner, admitting her inside once it was approved. It was a slightly narrow room with a glass window observing a square room. Inside the square room was a single table and two chairs. Hanzo was not even seated on any of the chairs; instead, he was sitting cross-legged in one of the corners.

Angela could scarcely believe that the broken man she had seen only a few hours ago was also this composed and confident individual. Looking at him now, he seemed to have gathered himself and settled into a deep meditation. Remembering his state back at relief camp five, Angela felt that his mind wasn’t calm, even though his body may seem so.

“How long has he been like this?” Angela asked, looking over to Jack, who was watching Hanzo intently.

“Three hours,” Jack replied, pausing for a moment to look at the time.

“Any clues as to who… killed all those refugees?” Angela said gently. Jack tightened his lips, exhaling slowly through his nose.

“Some criminal organization known as the Shimada Clan,” Jack answered, shaking his head, “They were identified by tattoos on their necks. They must’ve followed Hanzo throughout the operation. Probably tried to make him come back”

Angela looked at Hanzo with a bit more clarity. It seemed that his clan was determined to hound him for the rest of his life. Whatever they did had a profound, lasting effect on the man.

“Is… Is there anything we can do about this group?” Angela asked hesitantly. She normally didn’t like discussing how to combat organizations, even if they committed horrible atrocities. Such actions would only encourage another group to rise as a legacy. However, it was clear that leaving them alone would threaten far more lives than if they were to be confronted. In addition, it would be difficult for Hanzo to move on if his past kept returning to haunt him.

“I’ve already marked them as a priority,” Jack reassured, nodding before looking back at Hanzo, “We’ll be more active in surveying and sabotaging their operations.”

“Has he eaten or done anything at all since his time in there?” Angela pressed.

“No. In fact, he insisted that we isolate him to a cell or solitary confinement, but we managed to compromise on this. He asked us not to let anyone inside, even in a state of emergency,” Jack explained, gesturing to the square room, “He’s been like that ever since he entered the room.”

Angela bit her lip, hugging her clipboard against herself with her left arm as she studied Hanzo carefully. The man was clearly an expert at restraining his emotions, but this was not a skill to be praised. Psychological distress was something she was all too familiar with and despite repeat experiences, she could never get used to such things.

“Any way you could talk to him?” Jack suggested.

“Wouldn’t it be better if it was his own brother?” Angela pointed out. Hanzo seemed like a stubborn man, how could she convince him to open up in his current state? His brother would have a better chance of talking to him than her.

“Angela, you know the rules…” Jack sighed, bowing his head.

“But...” Angela started.

“I have my hands tied, Angela. I can’t go against regulations,” Jack explained, throwing up his hands before resting them on her shoulders, “You’re his doctor. He’ll listen to you.”

“I don’t know about that,” Angela said uncertainly, looking back at Hanzo.

“What are you afraid of? You think he killed those assassins?” Jack asked.

Angela paused for a moment. There were no other agents active in relief camp five and all the government soldiers were dead in the fields. Angela tried to ignore the fact that she had seen Hanzo’s metal arm coated in dried blood and bits of entrails.

“It can’t have been him. I made sure that the implants were nonlethal,” Angela insisted, thinking back on the operation. She personally confided with Torbjorn regarding Hanzo’s arrows to ensure that none of them were capable of killing. As for the limbs themselves… Yes, they were enhancements, but they couldn’t have been capable of doing such things to the bodies found at the camp. And even if they were, Hanzo was not a man to use such enhancements to inflict such… wounds.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” Jack concluded. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Angela walked into the room, putting on a small smile.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Shimada,” Angela greeted.

“Hm,” Hanzo hummed, cranking open one eye and nodding to her once before closing the eye. Angela tilted her head to the side, looking at the man carefully. It was a little unsettling to see him so composed when he was usually a nervous, stuttering wreck around her. He seemed much more approachable then. The calm nature of this man, along with the tense muscles in his left arm and neck, had the opposite effect on Angela. His current mannerism resembled that of a snake, quietly observing his surroundings and ready to strike.

However, he was also her patient. Because of the implication that his implants did not serve their purpose, she held a certain obligation towards him. Since she essentially saved his life, she hoped that he felt the same towards her.

“Are… Are you feeling well?” Angela asked gently. For a moment, Hanzo said or did nothing in response to this question.

“I am fine,” Hanzo mumbled, his head lowered. His long black hair fell down to shield his eyes from her.

“Hanzo, you can tell me,” Angela reassured.

“I’m all right, Dr. Ziegler,” Hanzo insisted, though his voice was strained. Angela was starting to see through the cracks of Hanzo’s carefully constructed facade.

“When I found you, you seemed… unbalanced,” Angela said slowly, holding her hand out to Hanzo’s left forearm.

“Dr. Ziegler. Do not concern yourself with me. There are others who need your-”

“Mr. Shimada, you’re my patient. You can say whatever is bothering you,” Angela interjected, holding her hand out to Hanzo’s left forearm. Hanzo noticed her move and leaned away.

“Don’t,” Hanzo whispered, closing his eyes and clutching his left shoulder.

“Mr. Shimada, please. There’s no need to-” Angela started, resting her hand on his forearm before bringing her hand back in to clutch her wrist. When her fingers brushed against his skin, Hanzo twitched violently and jerked his arm away. Angela stared down at her fingers, checking for any red welts. From the temperature of his skin, she should have first degree burns, yet her skin remained unmarred. “... Mr. Shimada? Are you running a fever?”

Angela reached to feel his forehead, but Hanzo growled upon her approach, causing her to shrink away. She kept a safe distance from him, examining him carefully. He seemed to be focused on his left arm, gripping at his forearm with the clawed fingers of his right hand. The sleeve of his robe was torn off to expose his entire arm, revealing tattooes of some sort of unidentifiable creature. All she could make out was a toothed jaw; the rest was hard to make out. However, this tattoo was less concerning than his behaviour. To hear him outright snarl like a barely tamed beast was understandably more unnerving than his calm composure. However, this did not lower her concern for him.

“Mr. Shimada, what-” Angela asked, motioning towards said arm. Hanzo turned his arm away from Angela’s line of sight and reach. Angela decided to keep her distance.

“Dr. Ziegler, please… Leave me be,” Hanzo requested, gritting his teeth.

“I…” Angela started, her voice trailing off as she watched Hanzo deep in his meditation, though he was clearly making a great effort to hide his distress. Despite her natural desire to help her patients, Angela learned from her own experience that there was no use in attempting to aid unwilling patients. Sometimes, a patient needed only time alone to reflect and recuperate. Regardless, Angela was concerned about Hanzo’s current emotional state and took a quiet moment to examine the room and then Hanzo’s own arm; there was no possible way for him to take his own life without immediate intervention. “Of course, Mr. Shimada… Do you need more of your medication? The tea?”

“No, I have no need of it,” Hanzo replied, shaking his head. Upon mention of his medication, Angela noticed his neck muscles tighten.

“Very well, Mr. Shimada,” Angela sighed, hovering her hand hesitantly towards Hanzo’s shoulder before thinking against it, “Good day, Mr. Shimada.”

“Hm...” Hanzo muttered, not giving her a second glance. She distinctly heard a small sniffle, but did not pry about it. Without another word, Angela walked out of the room, quickly writing notes on Hanzo’s medical records before a thought came to mind. She brought out her personal datapad to send a message to someone that she believed could help ease Hanzo’s conscience.

* * *

Upon hearing the door close, Hanzo raised his head, sighing heavily as he was left alone. He was well aware that he was being watched from the one-way glass window as well as the camera in the corner of the room. Though he did feel an overwhelming wave of guilt for displaying such animosity towards Dr. Ziegler, he ultimately came to the conclusion that it was for her own well-being. He could not afford to form any close bonds with anyone other than his own brother and even that one relationship put both of them at risk. The samurai’s threat against Dr. Ziegler rang through his head, as well as the assassin’s suggestion of Genji becoming Master rather than Hanzo. Hanzo wondered whether he was even safe here. For all he knew, the clan could have spies within OverWatch itself or pay off members to expose both of them.

Hanzo grinded his teeth, conflicted over what he should do. With Dr. Ziegler’s life at risk now, he couldn’t just leave. The only other way was to attack the clan itself, but Hanzo knew that beatings and terse warnings would not deter them. Hanzo dug his nails and raked them along his metallic knees. Hanzo could not forget what his own hands had done to those assassins. If he ever went after the clan, what was to stop him from killing them the same way? A man could not have committed such horrifying acts of aggression, only a rabid animal. Hanzo’s eyes widened as his left hand clenched tightly.

Looking down at his left shoulder, Hanzo felt his breath quicken, stretching the skin of his upper arm with his metal arm. Tattooes were etched onto his skin. However, these particular tattoos were not of dragons, but of some sharp-toothed animal that Hanzo could not identify. In fact, all that could be discerned amongst the clump of ink was wide jaws with rows of sharp teeth. Hanzo shook his head in confusion and fear creeped into him. Did the dragons return to him? No, it could not have been dragons.

Hanzo thought back to the twisted bodies and he clapped his hand over his mouth, fighting to maintain some semblance of calm. However, the many theories running rampant in his mind did little to help. The dragons would’ve never granted him the strength to commit such acts. Yes, perhaps he was fueled by rage at times, but they were only to kill, not mutilate. Whatever creature had imbued itself into his soul was not an animal at all; it was a monster. And his brutal murder of those assassins was only the beginning. Hanzo felt tears well up in his eyes, his metal fingers digging into his cheeks as he tried to make sense of what was happening. His distress was briefly forgotten when he heard the door open behind him.

“Dr. Ziegler, I wish to be alone,” Hanzo growled.

“Understandable, all things considered,” the newcomer acknowledged, “But not advised.”

Hanzo raised his head, recognizing the voice. But it wasn’t Dr. Ziegler.

“Captain Amari?” Hanzo guessed, turning around and seeing that it was indeed her. What caught his attention was the sniper rifle she had slung over her shoulder. Understandably, this made him wary of her. However, his caution was replaced with confusion when she had two saucers with cups filled with steaming amber tea.

“You must be thirsty,” Ana noted, setting the saucers onto the table before holding one of the cups out to Hanzo by the fingers of both of her hands, “Come on, let’s just sit down and have some tea.”

“I… I’m not…” Hanzo replied uncertainly. He admitted that this particular tea actually looked refreshing, unlike the medicinal one he had to drink for the past week. His cybernetics made every breath cold, no matter how shallow and careful each breath was. Hanzo had no intention to drink during the three hours he was isolated in this room, until he was faced with an actual cup of tea being held out to him.

“It will help, trust me,” Ana promised, giving him such a reassuring and gentle smile that Hanzo did not have the heart to refuse the offer. Sitting down across from Ana on one of the chairs by the table, Hanzo took the cup, letting the steaming drink warm his hands. He was aware of Ana studying him carefully. He hesitated for a moment as he brought the cup to his lips, taking a small sip. The sweet taste tickled his throat, tempting him to drink more. He gave into this temptation, the tea wetting his throat and the hot steam warming the cold air in his lungs. He would’ve drank all of it if Ana had not stopped him.

“Slow down, Hanzo,” Ana warned, chuckling as she rested her hand on his cybernetic arm. Hanzo set the cup down obligingly. Ana leaned forwards with her forearms on the table and hands clasped, staring at him intently. Hanzo managed to hold his gaze for only a few brief seconds before he turned away, feeling rather vulnerable staring right into her eyes. The sweetness of the tea wore off his tongue and the momentary elation already faded away.

“Why are you here?” Hanzo demanded, staring at the floor on his right. Ana rested a hand on his right shoulder. Hanzo winced a little at the contact, but did not fight against it. There was something comforting about Ana’s grip, as if it held a sort of deep understanding.

“You couldn’t have done anything,” Ana sighed, squeezing his clothed shoulder. Hanzo was well aware of what she was trying to do and though he did appreciate the gesture, he did not wish to push his problems onto her. She already had so much responsibility anyways.

“I do not wish to discuss this,” Hanzo requested.

“It’s clearly weighing heavily on your mind,” Ana said gently.

“It is not,” Hanzo snapped back, scowling. He hoped that his hostile nature would make Ana leave as it did for Angela. However, Ana did not, but instead laid her rifle on its side onto the table.

“Hanzo, take a look right here,” Ana asked. It sounded more of a request rather than an order. Hanzo considered outright ignoring her, but felt that she would be insistent anyways. He turned his head towards the rifle on the table, more notably the rifle stock that Ana was pointing to. It was marked with multiple vertical scratches, arranged in rows and columns like a tally.

“Each one of those marks is a man or woman I killed,” Ana explained. Her tone was somber and leveled. She held no pride nor any remorse. “They weren’t targets. They were people fighting to protect their own and had someone that cared for them. I killed them to protect the ones that I cared for… My family.”

“What are you trying to say?” Hanzo murmured, staring at the notches on her rifle and brushing his fingers along the scratches.

“Sometimes you fail… Sometimes part of your family is taken away from you,” Ana said, sighing and looking weary, “But you shouldn’t focus on the ones you were too late for. Do not dwell on your failures. Focus on the ones you can protect _now_.”

Hanzo bowed his head, taking in these words. With the assassin’s words still lingering on his mind, Hanzo knew the Clan would not rest until a new Master was chosen. Genji would resist, but the Clan would find a way to force him into the role. He would have to accompany Genji to Hanamura when the time comes. However, it would have to be the two of them alone. Anyone else was just a way for the Clan to hurt them. Hanzo could not afford to form any new bonds while the clan was still out there.

“Don’t try to separate yourself from your people. Keep them close to you,” Ana continued.

Hanzo remembered the Shimada assassin’s words, threatening Dr. Ziegler’s well-being in order to teach Hanzo a lesson. She was not safe anymore, she was now a target alongside Genji. Hanzo held his face in his hands, knowing that this was his own fault. He should’ve left with Genji after he had recovered from the surgery.

“You have us, Hanzo. Your own people,” Ana noted, resting her hand on her collarbone to indicate herself. “You have me, Mirembe, Singh, Bayless, Al-Farouk… And so many others here in OverWatch. We will protect you and Angela… And your brother as well.”

“No, you would do well to leave me alone,” Hanzo muttered, raising his head from his hands to glare at her. “It certainly did not do Tumaini well.”

“That will not happen to us. We have each other,” Ana reassured. Hanzo still shook his head in disagreement.

“You do not understand. The Clan now has more targets to focus on,” Hanzo growled, his frustration building. He felt the skin of his human left arm heating up.

“OverWatch has dealt with the Shimada Clan in the past,” Ana explained. “Jack… Commander Morrison has already marked them as a priority. He’ll have agents deal with them.”

“No!” Hanzo roared, pounding the desk with his fists in frustration. Ana did not flinch, looking down at his clenched hands. “You are making this worse for yourselves! Do you not see? Now the clan has more leverage! What if several of your agents were captured?”

“We have dealt with hostage situations before,” Ana replied.

“That is not-” Hanzo continued before stopping himself by biting on his lower lip. Standing up abruptly, he knocked his chair onto its back and felt his left arm shaking rather erratically. Hanzo breathed quickly, his head starting to pound. Clutching his head with clawed fingers, he dug the nails of his human hand into his scalp. He forced himself to calm down long enough to speak to Ana in a steady tone. “The Shimada Clan wants both my brother and I. Leave them to us and us alone. If anyone else gets involved, the clan will use them against us.”

“Hanzo, you can’t be thinking about fighting them with only your brother!” Ana warned. “You may be familiar with their methods and operations, but the both of you going in alone is suicide.”

“This is our fight to deal with!” Hanzo retorted, turning around and glaring at her.

“You need our help, admit it,” Ana insisted. “You fought against one of their assassins and lost, didn’t you?”

“I was not prepared for-”

“At least allow us to give you whatever information we’ve gathered,” Ana offered, raising her datapad. Calming down, Hanzo took the datapad, examining the details gathered from every subsequent mission involving the Shimada Clan. Most of the information was already known, due to his role as heir to the Shimada Clan.

However, he admitted that there was some valuable information concerning the whereabouts of the elders. Not even Hanzo was told of where they lived. With their locations revealed, he and Genji could confront the elders themselves.

“Thank you,” Hanzo acknowledged, handing back Ana’s datapad. He appeared to have put his anger under control. Ana smiled warmly at him, cupping his cheek with her hand.

“Don’t forget that we’re here,” Ana reminded, patting his cheek once before taking her rifle from the table and leaving the room.

However, once she was gone, Hanzo’s anger rose once again. There was now an opportunity to face the ones who caused so much pain for his family. Seeing their names on the datapad sparked unpleasant memories that only elicited hatred within him.

Because he was the first son, the elders denied him every single luxury right from the date of his birth. Instead of foolish, childish accidents or the amused laughs of his parents, Hanzo could only remember rigorous teachings on the family’s criminal activities and strict ninja training.

Whenever he hesitated in following up on the orders of the elders, they would tell him that it was for the good of the clan. That was what they always told him whenever he held any doubts. For the few times he continued to refuse their orders, they employed more primitive methods of discipline, calling upon their personal bodyguard to beat him into submission. He eventually learned to stay compliant to their demands. Over time, they granted him more privileges once they were assured of his loyalty, effectively keeping him in their control.

Despite the physical pain they caused him, Hanzo was less angered by their treatment of him than Genji and their father. They made him watch their personal assassin pummel his little brother for his wayward behaviour. They sowed resentment and hate towards their father for his misconduct and coddling of his youngest son. Once their father passed away, they immediately demanded that Hanzo convince his brother to take a more active role in their empire. They held so much sway over the clan, yet Hanzo could kill them so easily with his own hands. It was pathetic that they had to hide behind their assassins. He could’ve ordered their deaths so easily, but he was too wrapped up in his own pride by his role as heir to the clan to realize the lie he was living.

Feeling the skin burn, Hanzo glanced at his left arm and then held his left wrist tightly in a metal grip upon seeing a faint red glow around his tattoos. Hanzo felt his breath quicken as he tightened his hold on his left wrist, gritting his teeth. Despite what the Clan did to him, he cannot seek revenge. He had made a vow to himself, he could not trust himself to control his emotions when faced with the Clan. His encounter back in Egypt was testament to that.

_‘No, do not give into your anger… Do not give into your emotions…’_

Hanzo’s mind reeled as he focused on these thoughts. Was this what his father had meant by his final advice? Was this… monster within him a sort of test? Did his father go through this same trial in order to become the Master? Hanzo felt a sort of assurance at this possibility. If his father and his ancestors had undergone such trials, then overcoming this inner demon was possible. Yes, it would be difficult, but such was all trials faced in his life. Hanzo loosened his hold on his human wrist, straightening his fingers. The red glow faded away from his tattoos as he restrained his boiling rage. However, his temper still remained present, his forehead throbbing. Hanzo dug his knuckles into his temples, rubbing them as he paced around the room. He managed to keep himself under control by focusing on his father’s last words, clearing his mind and leaving nothing but these very words repeatedly echoing in his head.

‘ _Do not give into your emotions. The clan is unforgiving to any weakness,’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mid-Term Exams are coming up, so updates may be slow. I apologize for any inconvenience


	11. Chapter 11

“Aw come on,” Jesse protested as his cigar was plucked out from between his lips, “Now that’s just plain rude. It ain’t polite to take a man’s smoke.” 

“It’s against regulations to smoke in hospital grounds,” the doctor said sternly, dropping the cigar and grinding it underneath his boot to put it out. Following the doctor into the hospital room, Jesse’s grimace upturned into a casual smile as he approached Genji attempting to scratch under the cast on his leg. 

“Need some help with that itch, partner?” Jesse asked with a grin. Genji exhaled slowly upon Jesse’s entry, clearly annoyed by his presence.

“I’m fine,” Genji said coldly. 

“Ouch. Yer bein’ pretty snappy today,” Jesse commented, frowning.

“Because an annoyance just entered the room,” Genji retorted. Jesse knew Genji was referring to him, but he felt like playing it up. He looked over his shoulder to see if there was anyone behind him before shrugging with an eyebrow raise.

“Don’t see ‘im,” Jesse remarked with a neutral face.

“You-” Genji started before closing his eyes and then wincing as he clutched at his cast.

“Hey, take it easy there, Gen. I’m just here to check up on ya. Ya weren’t in the most tiptop shape last time I saw ya,” Jesse said, holding onto his leather belt, “Partners always check up on each other, am I right?” 

Genji’s scowl softened slightly upon seeing Jesse’s genuine concern.

“I’m fine, Agent McCree,” Genji said, hunching his shoulders and turning his head away. 

“Agent McCree? Come on, Gen. We ain’t on a mission right now,” Jesse pointed out, sighing, “Would it kill ya to loosen up?” 

“Perhaps…” Genji muttered, staring at the wall away from Jesse. Remembering something they agreed upon, Jesse walked on over to Genji’s bedside, gaining his attention and irritation by clicking the lid of his lighter, “What is it, Jesse?”

“‘Ey, ya called me by my first name,” Jesse noticed before drawing up a stool and sitting down beside Genji, “As I remember, ya promised that we’d have a drink with the boys.” 

“That was not-” Genji started.

“Lying, weren’t ya?” Jesse guessed, prompting Genji to bow his head. To be honest, Jesse was not at all bothered by it. In fact, he was expecting Genji to have lied. Didn’t discourage him one bit though. “Suppose I understand, ya want some time to yerself. Maybe have a good few strokes while thinking about lil’ ol’ me, eh?” 

“Of course not, don’t be stupid,” Genji retorted, glaring at Jesse to make his irritation known.

“I know somethin’ that’ll loosen up that sharp tongue of yers,” Jesse said slowly with a grin and a wink.

“If it’s your-” Genji started, scowling. 

“I meant a drink, Gen! Jesus!” Jesse interrupted, chuckling as he tipped his hat forwards, “Ya promised me, after all.” 

“I don’t know if you noticed, Jesse. But I’m not in the best condition to stand up,” Genji pointed out, gesturing to his cast leg.

“They invented these for a reason,” Jesse pointed out, reaching down from his stool and propping a pair of crutches against the side of the bed. He then tapped underneath Genji’s elbow, “Come on, up and at ‘em.” 

“I refuse,” Genji said stubbornly, crossing his arms and leaning against the backboard of the hospital bed. Jesse considered leaving Genji alone, but the guy’s wound up tighter than a three-day clock. Plus, everyone else was looking forward to meeting a new member. They always did. Genji could use a break now and then.

“Ain’t that right?” Jesse said slowly, raising an eyebrow with a little devious half-smile. “If ya don’t come, I’ll tell everyone those nice little sounds you screamed out when you came that night.”

Genji’s eyes widened at this outright blackmail and made a piss-poor attempt to stay pissed at him. Not intimidated in the slightest, Jesse found to his delight that the man’s cheeks glowed red.

“You would never…” Genji growled. 

“Do I look like a guy who goes back on his word?” Jesse remarked, gesturing to himself. 

“Yes,” Genji immediately replied. Jesse clutched his chest, stepping back and gasping dramatically. 

“Gen, I can’t believe ya think I’d do that. Jesse McCree’s a man of his word!” Jesse said, puffing out his chest proudly. Genji narrowed his eyes at the cowboy. ”Come on, everyone’s dyin’ to meet ya.”

“Fine. Fine!” Genji yelled, throwing up his hands before swinging his legs over the side of the stretcher and grabbing both crutches. Easing his good leg onto the ground, Genji managed to settle into his supports. 

“Ya won’t regret this, Gen,” Jesse promised before snapping his fingers and pointing to the door, “Let’s get on goin’. The others are waitin’.” 

“What is your intention…?” Genji asked suspiciously as he followed Jesse out of the room and down the hallway. 

“I ain’t gon sleep wi’ ya again if that’s what yer worried about,” Jesse replied over his shoulder. A passerby glanced over his shoulder, looking at the two incredulously, “Oh my, was that a little too loud?” 

“Could you at least have some tact?” Genji growled, glaring at the stranger as a signal to leave them alone. Fortunately, the passerby had gotten the message and continued on his way. Wow, Genji was a real charmer. 

“Real sorry, Gen. But my lips sometimes have a mind of their own,” Jesse replied, tipping his hat before winking and blowing a kiss. He was getting a real kick out of this. “Oops, I’m sorry, partner. Did my lips move on their own again?”

“I’m leaving,” Genji said, turning around to head back to the medical room. Even Jesse knew when he would go too far. He couldn’t help himself though, Genji was such a real joy to tease. 

“All right, all right. I’m sorry, Gen. Just messin’ wi’ ya,” Jesse called out hurriedly, chuckling nonetheless, “I swear, I ain’t gon’ flirt anymore.”

Genji still didn’t seem fully reassured, but grudgingly turned back around.

“Look on the bright side. The drinks’ll numb the pain,” Jesse pointed out, stopping by a particular door and tapping his knuckles to knock on it, “Hope yer a fan of big gatherin’s.” 

“I… I suppose I am,” Genji said slowly, hesitating for a moment. Jesse gave a thumbs up and a half-grin to Genji. 

“Perfect. Come on in and meet the gang,”

* * *

Genji stepped into the room and flinched as he was greeted with many cheers and the raising of mugs. It was a sight that was much like his visits to the many bars in Hanamura. It was almost as if he was back home again. He admitted that this familiarity was… comforting.

Genji reeled back a little as a mug of beer was pressed up against his stomach by a woman with sharp facial features and blazing orange hair that fell to her chin. Genji grabbed the mug instinctively, but was punched in the shoulder by the same woman, causing some of the cold beer to slosh onto his hand and drip onto the floor.

“What are ya doing? Drink up, lad!” the woman prompted, punching him again. A drink pushed into him was something he was accustomed to, but the punch? Genji rubbed his shoulder, grimacing before he hurriedly brought the mug to his lips after seeing the woman shake her head and bring her fist back. Two punches already bruised his shoulder; a third would most definitely dislocate it. The bitter taste slid down his throat, causing him to purse his lips and close his eyes tightly. “Too strong for ya? Jesse told us ya weren’t a lightweight!” 

“He ain’t, Yola. Just give ‘im some time,” Jesse defended, raising his hand and then patting Genji on the back. Genji hunched his shoulders, still a little uncomfortable among such positivity after recent events. He was slightly tempted by the offer of drinking, but now he was starting to have second thoughts.

“I… I really shouldn’t…” Genji muttered, lowering his mug. 

“Come on, mate! Just engage in the festivities once in awhile!” Agent Ainsley called out from his seat on top of the bar counter. His moustache was slick and shined with traces of alcohol trapped on the follicles. Genji looked around and saw Jantis, trying to appeal to his trainer for help. However, Genji saw that the knight was holding three mugs in each hand and passing them around to his fellow agents. Agent Adaro was merely leaning against the wall with his hands clasped in front of him.

“Ya promised us a drink, Gen,” Jesse reminded, leaning against the bar counter on his elbows. “Ya better deliver.”

Genji looked over at the other agents in the room. If what Jesse said about their missions was true… Then each of them had killed extensively and bore witness to terrible acts, yet here they were, laughing without any burden. It was… almost inspiring to see such high spirits, despite their morally repugnant ways. And after all, Genji himself was not perfect. He had almost been killed by his own brother and drove his brother to near death himself as part of the Clan’s machinations. In the past two weeks, Genji was clouded with rage and set on his goal for vengeance against the clan. Nothing else had come to mind. 

In short, he was almost unrecognizable from the carefree playboy that he was only two weeks ago and he had little opportunity to… ‘take it easy’ as Jesse phrased it. 

Genji closed his eyes before the corners of his lips lifted slightly and then opened his eyes to look up at the other agents, a dozen of whom were looking at him expectantly. He could forget about the Clan for a few hours, could he not? Genji was among those who saw him as his brother did; he was safe here, but more importantly, he was also welcome.

With the left side of his mouth lifting higher into a half-smile, Genji raised his half-empty mug to the others. More cheers and toasts followed soon afterwards. Jesse smiled slightly in self-satisfaction, tipping his hat down before walking over to stop in front of Genji. Alongside him was Agent Ainsley and Jantis, both of whom had drinks of their own in hand. Then, looking at Agent Ainsley, Genji remembered something that he had forgotten to clarify. 

“Forgive me, Agent Ainsley. But what is your first name?” Genji asked.

“Nah, no need to apologize. It’s Seamus, mate,” he replied, raising the cup up, “To Genji Shimada! The newest member to our screwed up family!” 

“Amen, brother!” a BlackWatch agent from amongst the crowd added. Genji’s hand wobbled as a few dozen BlackWatch agents bumped their glasses against his. After the last agent, who was none other than Jesse McCree, clinked his mug to Genji’s mug, Genji finally drank the rest of the beer still in his cup. It was no Awamori, but it would have to do. 

“Heeeey, Commander on deck! You need a beer?” someone called out. Genji looked over to see Commander Reyes enter the room, still wearing an unpleasant scowl. Despite his rather unflattering appearance, no spirits were dampened. 

“I’m going to need seven, kissass,” Commander Reyes snapped back, taking a beer from the counter, “How are all you assholes doing?” 

“We’re just giving our newest member the BlackWatch traditional greeting!” Yola explained, raising her mug. God, how many did she drink? Genji remembered she had already drunk eight thus far. 

“Hm. How you finding time here, Genji?” Commander Reyes asked with an eyebrow raise as he tilted his head back to drink from his mug, but still focused his gaze on him. Though seeing the commander in a relatively jovial mood did scare Genji more than the commander just acting his usual, gruff manner, Genji did feel a little more at ease when the commander referred to Genji by his first name; it felt as though the commander actually cared. The agents he worked with during the Volskaya mission did not seem to have any qualms towards him, and some of them, particularly Jantis and Jesse, seemed particularly fond of him. Even the agents he met for the first time in this very room were greeting him as if he was their own. 

“I… It is good…” Genji admitted slowly. Commander Reyes nodded, clapping his hand on Genji’s shoulder. 

“Take it easy, all right?” Commander Reyes advised before looking over Genji’s shoulder and scowling, “Son of a bitch…”

Commander Reyes shoved past Genji to confront a man who had just entered the room. The man was in his mid-twenties, rubbing his chiselled jawline and then shifting his hand up to ruffle his brown curls. He was grinning as Commander Reyes stormed up to him. Genji furrowed his brow, focusing on the pair as the man raised his hands and attempted to say a few reassuring words to the BlackWatch commander. 

“Who is that?” Genji asked, leaning towards Jesse and nodding to the newcomer.

“That’s Major Gerard Lacroix, big guy in OverWatch. He’s best buds with pretty much all of us here. Reason why the boss’s bitin’ his head off is cuz we ain’t allowed to talk with OverWatch agents,” Jesse explained, hunching his shoulders and sighing, “Higher ups ain’t a big fan of OverWatch and BlackWatch talkin’ with each other.”

Genji took in this piece of information. They restricted BlackWatch agents from talking with OverWatch agents? How could he talk with his brother with that rule in place? Clearly Jesse was expecting this reaction, quickly moving to reassure him.

“Don’t worry yer little head over it, Gen. No one ever really follows it,” Jesse said, chuckling and watching Gerard stepping past Commander Reyes. All the BlackWatch agents acknowledged Gerard’s entrance with another wave of cheers.

“Why does this rule exist?” Genji asked slowly, shaking his head numbly. This rule was ridiculous. An organization dedicated to uniting countries divided their own agents? It was hypocritical and would only trigger internal conflict within OverWatch itself. 

“Hell if I know. Probably cuz they don’t want us ‘bad apples’ to be seen with their camera stars,” Jesse surmised, shrugging as he lit a cigar, “If ya want to meet yer brother, I can help arrange a meetin’.”

“I… I don’t want you to get into trouble,” Genji said hesitantly, admittedly tempted by this offer. Jesse waved his hand dismissively, shrugging.

“It ain’t much trouble, Gen. Believe me,” Jesse reassured, patting Genji’s shoulder, “I’ll let ya know when and where. Just need to cash in a few favors.” 

“I-I... T-Thank you. I just don’t wish any inconvenience on you,” Genji said, stunned at this generosity. 

“That’s what partners are for, right?” Jesse replied before grabbing a pitcher from the counter and filling up Genji’s empty mug. 

“Bonsoir, my friends! Here’s to Gabriel Reyes! And BlackWatch!” Gerard shouted, draping his arm around Commander Reyes’s shoulders and hugging him close. Genji hesitated for a moment before he saw the other BlackWatch members returning Gerard’s toast and decided to also raise a glass to this stranger. Gerard looked expectantly at Commander Reyes, who rolled his eyes before joining his subordinates.

“To Gerard Lacroix and his wife!” Commander Reyes called out, answered by BlackWatch agents with more cheers.

“Mon ami, please… I haven’t proposed to her yet,” Gerard said, raising his hands. 

“Ya mean to tell us ya didn’t get hitched yet?” Yola said loudly, slamming her mug down against the bar counter and splashing two other BlackWatch agents beside her.

“Come on, mate! Jesus, how long have you been dating?” Seamus added. 

“I just like to take things slow,” Gerard defended. 

“Four years is pretty slow nuff, partner,” Jesse piped up. Genji said nothing, swirling his drink for a moment before he was nudged in the shoulder by Jesse, “Whaddya think, Gen?” 

“Hm? Oh…” Genji said, becoming aware that everyone was looking at him now. He thought quickly on his next words to divert attention from himself as quick as possible. “I… I think you should do it. I mean… Life is short, is it not?”

“Amen to that,” Commander Reyes said before lifting his glass up, “To finding the one!” 

Reciting back ‘ _ To the one’  _ alongside the others, Genji hesitated for a moment, hovering the mug in front of his lips. While everyone else was drinking, Genji was thinking on the Commander’s words. He had slept with so many girls, but none of them ever sparked anything beyond just carnal desire. Looking back, Genji reflected on the tear-streaked faces of and admittedly painful slaps received from all the girls he had broken up with. Most of them seemed to genuinely like him and had wanted more than just casual sex.

Genji thought about the idea of marrying and settling down. He admitted that the idea was appealing, but he was not one to just slow down. He was one who took risks, craved excitement, and was always on a fast track. 

‘ _ That was the old you,’ _ Genji reminded himself, scowling. That Genji refused to listen to his brother, which almost got the two of them killed. However, Genji as of present would see to it that he and his brother would never have to be threatened anymore. It was the only way to make up for what he had done. 

“Gen? Y’all right there?” 

Genji was snapped out of his thoughts when Jesse clapped Genji’s shoulder and held a full mug of beer to him. His hand hovered in front of the glass uncertainly before taking the handle.

“Helps if ya drink yer sorrows away,” Jesse commented, giving a small smile. However, this small smile was different from the smug half-grins that he would often have. This smile was more reassuring and… understanding? Did Jesse figure out what Genji was thinking? 

That was impossible, Jesse couldn’t possibly understand what he was going through… Could he? He did already volunteer to arrange a meeting between Genji and Hanzo at considerable personal risk. And it seemed that Jesse always knew when to come and ease… Well, attempt to ease his worries. Genji was finding Jesse a little more tolerable now that he had spent more time with him. A small voice whispered in his mind, proposing a ridiculous idea. 

No, that was ridiculous. It was only one time and he made it quite clear that it would not happen again. Genji was beginning to get irritated by this little voice. He wished he could just silence it forever, but clearly it was difficult to brush off years of such a self-indulgent and admittedly wonderful lifestyle. However, Genji knew that his playboy days were behind him, as they should be.

‘ _ Perhaps. But what are you doing right now? Shouldn’t you be training?’ _ the voice pointed out. Genji looked down at the mug in hand, staring at the cold drink. This was different. He was forced here by Jesse and he just got caught in the festivities.

‘ _ You can leave now, you know,’ _ the voice said. Genji turned and eyed the door, tapping the side of his mug with his thumb. However, before he could take one step towards said door, Genji looked over his shoulder at the sound of a two-note whistle. Yola and Jantis were kneeling down beside each other, while two other BlackWatch agents were each holding some type of funnel attached to a plastic tube.

“Oi, Adaro! We’re going to need your help!” Seamus called out to the Omnic. Standing up from the wall, Adaro tapped away at his forearm before projecting two holographic stopwatches from his wrist. 

“Ready when you are,” Adaro replied. Genji bit his lip, looking at the door. He considered making an excuse to take his leave, turning towards the exit.

“Whaddya think? I’m bettin’ on Yola to win,” Jesse piped up, shuffling in and leaning towards Genji from the side, “Where ya goin’? Leavin’ so soon, Gen?” 

“I… Well, I have…” Genji said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. 

“Have…?” Jesse prompted, clenching his teeth on his cigar and tilting it upwards. Genji searched frantically for a valid excuse and looked back at Jesse to show that this excuse would be the truth, but returning Jesse’s gaze proved to make lying much more difficult. “Ya lookin’ fer an excuse to get out of here, ain’tcha?”

“I…” Genji replied weakly before hunching his shoulders and scratching the back of his head. 

“Come on, stick round a little longer,” Jesse encouraged, wrapping his arm around Genji’s shoulders and pointing his mug towards Jantis and Yola, “I wouldn’t wanna miss this, if I were you.”

“What… What are they doing?” Genji asked, furrowing his brow at the plastic tubes. Both Jantis and Yola each took an end of separate plastic tubes and held it against their mouths. Jesse’s mouth dropped open, causing his still-smoking cigar to fall to the ground.

“Ya never heard of a beer bong, Gen? Jesus, yer missing out on a lot!” Jesse exclaimed, astonished. 

“Doesn’t answer my question,” Genji pointed out before his mouth gaped as he watched a BlackWatch agent pour a bottle into the funnel and down the tube. Yola and Jantis rapidly drank and swallowed the beer to keep pace with the constant flow of liquor coming in. “What… W-Wouldn’t that kill them?” 

“Ain’t as bad as it looks,” Jesse reassured, “It ain’t that much different from when we drank together.”

“I didn’t have beer forced down my throat,” Genji pointed out. 

“Ya certainly had something slide down yer throat that night,” Jesse replied, grinning. Genji merely sighed at this, bowing his head and shaking it exasperatedly. It seemed that the competition was already over. Adaro had Jantis’s wrist on one hand and Yola’s wrist in the other. The Omnic then raised Yola’s arm up to declare her the winner. “So, ya up fer it?” 

“U-Up for what?” Genji stuttered, turning his head to Jesse abruptly. 

“Yer just dying to try it out, I can tell,” Jesse said, chuckling. Genji reeled his head back, staring at Jesse in disbelief. 

“You’re joking, right?” Genji said, shaking his head, “Absolutely not. I’m not doing this.”

“Come ooooon. I promise I’ll go easy on ya,” Jesse insisted, nudging Genji’s shoulder with his elbow playfully.

“It’s not that I’m afraid to lose, it’s that-” Genji snapped, twitching his shoulder away.

“Listen ‘ere, Gen. I ain’t gon try to fuck ya, if that’s what yer worried about,” Jesse said, raising his hands before shrugging, “Well… I might nuzzle a bit, if that’s alright.” 

“It is not,” Genji retorted, crossing his arms. Jesse shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

“Gen, take a good long look,” Jesse advised, clapping Genji’s shoulder and pointing to the crowd of individuals gathering around Yola to congratulate her, as well as the few stragglers consoling Jantis for his loss, “Ten years from now, what are ya gonna remember? Meditatin’ or takin’ this thing fer a little spin?” 

Genji crossed his arms for a moment before raising his right forearm to bite on his index finger indecisively. Despite his initial intention to leave this room and have some time to himself, Genji couldn’t help but agree with Jesse’s statement. Meditation was hardly a fond memory to look back to. And to be honest, seeing Jesse’s overconfident smirk made Genji want to take the cowboy’s challenge. He wanted to wipe that self-satisfied grin off of Jesse’s face. 

“Do not hold back,” Genji ordered, pointing to Jesse’s face. 

“I ain’t that easy to beat. Ya really sure ‘bout this?” Jesse warned, raising an eyebrow before raising a hand towards the pair of BlackWatch agents.

“I better not regret this…” Genji muttered under his breath as he knelt down and took the end of the plastic tube in hand, nodding to the BlackWatch agent hovering the beer bottle above the funnel. As the bottle was tipped forward, Genji exchanged one last look with Jesse before bracing himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter up! Finally! I'd like to apologize to everyone who's been following this fic, I've just been so busy with school lately, but midterm exam season has passed by so now i have time!
> 
> I would like to say a special thanks to everyone who's shown support for this story!


	12. Chapter 12

A small ache stemmed from just above the bridge of Genji’s nose. He opened his eyes groggily and raised his head. He clamped his hand onto his mouth as he let out a deep, throaty gag. The small ache escalated to a massive, pounding headache that sent his world lurching forwards. Genji laid his head back down on his soft pillow, closing his eyes. He felt his head rise and fall as the pillow inflated and deflated, but Genji supposed that was just this godawful headache. A warm blanket was tightly wrapped around his chest underneath his shoulders. When did someone put a blanket on him? Patting the blanket, Genji froze upon feeling hair. 

This wasn’t a blanket. 

And now that his head was a little clearer, he realized that his pillow wasn’t a pillow either.

“Mm…? Gen, y’all right there?” a sleepy drawl called out.

Genji slowly shifted his head to the left and then sat up abruptly upon seeing Jesse’s bearded face no more than a foot from his. Prying Jesse’s arm off of him and doubling over, Genji breathed quickly, feeling sweat pool at his forehead as he fought to keep himself from throwing up. God, he never felt this nauseous before; it was most definitely a negative response to the American alcohol he had drunk… And the usage of that beer bong. That was a bad idea. Why did he have to listen to that voice? He already listened to it twice and regretted both times afterwards.

Finding a resemblance to a previous night where he had woken up hungover, Genji looked down to find to his relief that he was still fully dressed. It seemed that Jesse had held true to his promise. Genji was frankly surprised that the cowboy had kept his word; he seemed like a man who wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to sleep with someone. Perhaps Jesse was more complicated than Genji had initially thought. 

Raising his head slowly, Genji studied his surroundings, finding most of the BlackWatch agents out of commission. They were completely hungover, slumped over on the floors, walls, and furniture. Bottles of booze were strewn around the room, some still containing traces of alcohol yet to be drunk. The loud snoring did not really help Genji’s headache either. Genji kneaded his temples with his knuckles, closing his eyes tightly. Looking around and seeing the beer bongs on the floor made Genji close his eyes and groan, rubbing his forehead with the pads of his fingers. Genji kept his head as still as possible, since the slightest of movements would send his world spinning. But limiting his movement did nothing to the jackhammer digging into his brain.

“Jesse…?” Genji grunted, not even looking over his shoulder to address the cowboy, “I already regret this decision…”

“On the plus side, ya definitely won’t forget this,” Jesse pointed out with a hoarse chuckle before he was cut short as he let out a deep gurgle from his throat.

“True enough…” Genji admitted. Whether it would be a fond memory or something that should be burned out of his mind was still up for debate. However, right now, his mind was in need of something soft… Many somethings soft. 

“I need a pillow… Dozens of them…”

“Got one right ‘ere, if ya need it,” Jesse offered. Genji turned around to see Jesse patting his stomach. 

“I meant a pillow, not a beer belly,” Genji snapped, clutching the side of his head and gritting his teeth. He should’ve moved a little slower… A lot slower. 

“‘Ey, it’s cozy ‘nuff, ain’t it? Ya passed out and slept like a lil’ baby on this lovely pillow for a couple hours, didn’t ya?” Jesse said before raising his left arm and waggling the fingers, “And let’s not forget this nice small blanket wrapped up ‘round ya.”

Perhaps he was not that complicated. 

Genji looked around quickly to see if anyone else was listening, but he couldn’t get a closer look before he keeled over to the side, holding onto his head to keep it still. Tightening his lips, Genji felt a bubbling sensation in his stomach and then crawled over to one of the trash cans, sweat pooling at his forehead. 

“What… was in that… beer?” Genji gasped out. 

“It was just beer, Gen. Yer prob’ly sick, cuz of those beer bongs,” Jesse guessed, “Looks like I win. I tried to warn ya.” 

“I will… never touch…. A beer ever… again…” Genji vowed, feeling a little delirious. 

“Ya don’t mean that. Come on, I’m sure the boss’ll-” Jesse replied.

“Wake up, dumbasses!” 

“-help us…” Jesse finished, “How’s it goin’, boss?” 

“Eat up, bitches,” Commander Reyes growled. Genji looked down to see that it was some kind of.... sandwich, containing assorted diced vegetables and cooked bacon. The other BlackWatch agents didn’t take too kindly to being woken up from their drunken sleep, answering the Commander’s wake-up call with groans and barely comprehensible, slurred insults. 

Genji took the sandwich, staring down at it before looking over to see Jesse already biting down on his. Then a water bottle slammed into Genji’s chest, causing him to cough out. He looked down at the plastic bottle, watching the water slosh around inside.

“Rehydrate yourself and eat those damn sandwiches. You’ll thank me later,” Commander Reyes ordered before taking his leave from the room. Jesse shuffled over to sit beside Genji, tapping Genji’s elbow with the cap of the bottle. 

“Ya better drink up. Boss knows what he’s talkin’ ‘bout,” Jesse advised before taking a swig from his bottle. Bringing his face away from the trash can, Genji watched Jesse for a moment, wondering as to how he could possibly drink or even consider eating. Even the thought of biting into this sandwich made Genji sick to his stomach. Instead, he held his sandwich out to Jesse. 

“Gen, ya gotta eat.” 

“I will throw it up before even swallowing it,” Genji murmured, dropping the sandwich on Jesse’s lap anyways and drinking from his own water bottle. Jesse smacked his lips and wiped his mouth with his thumb before holding Genji’s sandwich out to the ninja. 

“Gen, if ya don’t eat this, I won’t arrange that meetin’ with yer brother,” Jesse said. Genji grimaced and took the sandwich. He was a little hungry and the sandwich did smell delicious. 

Genji needed to meet his brother, especially since they have not even seen each other for well over a week. Genji sighed and bit off a chunk from the sandwich, chewing slowly.

“Hm,” Genji grunted. It was admittedly tasty, so Genji took another bite. He wondered why Jesse was making such a huge effort in helping him out. Yes, the other BlackWatch agents were welcoming enough, but it seemed like Jesse had a vested interest in Genji’s well-being. Was it perhaps…? No, that was absurd and absolutely ridiculous. Jesse was merely looking out for his fellow teammates and just wanted to be friends…. Close friends. Really close friends. 

“Good, ain’t it?” Jesse acknowledged, grinning, “Boss can cook up some mean grub. This ain’t the half of it.”

Genji turned towards the cowboy, watching him bite onto his sandwich. No one else, aside from his brother, had ever shown this much caring. Yes, it was most definitely a brotherly love… A dysfunctional brotherly love at that. Genji felt a little awkward viewing their relationship considering that Jesse had drunk-fucked him. Genji eyed the muscles that were showing through Jesse’s tight, form-fitting t-shirt. Genji wondered how such a body felt when it was pressed up against him. Of course, he was drunk during that night with Jesse and could not recall the full sensation.

Genji smacked himself in the side of the head to rid himself of these thoughts and resumed eating. 

_ ‘Stick with girls,’ _ Genji scolded himself. 

“So… How are you going to arrange this meeting?” Genji asked.

“Oh, it’s easy. I make a few calls, pull a few strings, ya wait ‘til the dead of night and go to a secret spot,” Jesse explained, shrugging. Genji blinked in surprise, figuring it was much more complicated than that. 

“Listen ‘ere, Gen. ya can throw a rock anywhere in this place and it’ll hit someone who doesn’t follow that rule. Trust me, I got this.” 

“... Very well, I’ll trust you,” Genji finally said, nodding, “Just be careful.”

“Ya worryin’ ‘bout lil’ old me, Gen?” Jesse asked, resting his hand on his collarbone, “Real flattered ‘ere.”

Genji exhaled sharply through his nostrils, closing his eyes momentarily. 

“No, I’m merely concerned about getting caught myself. It would not leave such a good impression, considering how new I am,” Genji shot back. 

“Aw, that really hurts,” Jesse whined, looking crestfallen. When the smile fell away to a serious frown, Genji wondered whether Jesse’s pain was genuine or not, but Genji would take a guess at the latter. Genji furrowed his brow, standing up a little straighter. Understandably, he took Jesse a lot more seriously whenever his smiles would turn the other way around. 

“Listen ‘ere, Gen. Ya shouldn’t give a shit what they think. Yer in BlackWatch, they already don’t like ya.” 

“What?” Genji demanded. 

“We’re the ones who do the dirty work, Gen. Kinda obvious, none of us are really innocent snowflakes,” Jesse explained, shrugging indifferently, “But hell, I’d rather take this dirty work than sit behind bars.” 

“You were… a criminal?” Genji asked, finding himself reeling back a little. 

“Ain’t that bad. Just hung ‘round with the bad crowd fer a bit,” Jesse said quickly, noticing Genji’s reaction, “Drugs, guns, nothin’ that bad.” 

Genji stared at Jesse. 

“And… everyone else?” Genji prompted. 

“Jantis was booted from the Crusaders fer tryin’ to EMP an Omnic neighborhood. Seamus was kicked out of the SAS fer using twenty people as bait to flush out his target. Adaro was hired by Talon and tried to assassinate Gerard Lacroix, course we had to reprogram him a bit,” Jesse listed off, holding up his fingers and setting one down after each named agent. 

To be honest, Genji wasn’t particularly surprised by this. His own squad’s general nonchalance after his first mission hinted at what kind of people they were. However, the party last night showed a different, much more likeable side of them. Genji saw some resemblance between them and his own brother. Hanzo was much more complicit with the clan’s criminal activities, but regardless of this, he still seemed like a… mildly approachable man, albeit a little too broody for his own good. 

“And what makes you think that some of them won’t go back?” Genji pointed out, still expressing doubts nonetheless.

“They won’t. Boss has got faith in ‘em. In us,” Jesse reassured. 

“And what of Commander Reyes?” Genji pointed out. 

“Nah, boss is clean,” Jesse replied, shaking his head, “Unless ya count the stick up his ass a crime.”

Genji cracked a small smile at this unflattering metaphor. Why should it matter what their pasts were? Genji had joined this group to confront his past. He felt at home with these people and was actually beginning to genuinely like Jesse.

“It doesn’t matter who we are, ya had fun last night, didn’t ya?” Jesse asked with a hopeful smile. Genji shook his head lightly with a small laugh. Seeing him in a good mood seemed to lift Jesse’s spirits.

“Gon’ take that as a yes,” Jesse remarked, tipping an invisible hat to Genji. The cowboy then patted his grizzled brown hair, confused, “Where’d my hat go…?” 

Genji looked around, turning his head slowly and finding Jesse’s trademark hat covering Seamus’s face.

“Thanks, Gen,” Jesse acknowledged before crawling over and reaching out towards said hat. Genji watched the cowboy shrink back momentarily when Seamus snorted and stirred slightly in his drunken sleep before Jesse swiped the hat away and shuffled back to Genji. 

Jesse sighed as he held the brim of his hat in both hands, “Welcome back, Bessie…” 

“Bessie?” Genji asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Bessie is my hat,” Jesse explained. Genji pressed the side of his fist against his mouth, attempting to keep a straight face. 

“Y-You named y-your hat?” Genji said shakily, letting out an involuntary snicker. 

“‘Ey, it’s cool to name yer hat!” Jesse retorted, his cheeks reddening slightly.

“Bessie isn’t a very flattering name,” Genji remarked, crossing his arms. 

“It’s a good name! Shut up!” Jesse exclaimed, frowning. Seeing how flustered Jesse was, Genji realized that he now had some leverage.

“I might… On one condition,” Genji suggested, tapping his chin. For a moment, Jesse looked rather impressed by this before he quickly reverted back to the blackmailed victim. 

“Fine, name yer price,” Jesse grunted, holding onto the brim of his hat. 

“No more of this flirting,” Genji said firmly. Jesse furrowed his brow at this condition, clearly affected by it. Good. Genji needed to make this have an impact.

“Aw come on, that ain’t a fair deal,” Jesse protested. 

“Would you rather everyone knew that your hat is named Bessie?” Genji pointed out. Jesse grimaced, clearly struggling to decide whether to keep the identity of his hat secret. “Jesse , just accept the offer.”

However, the cowboy shook his head in response. 

“No way, ya can’t just neuter me like that. It’s a crime,” Jesse remarked.

“Well… I am in a group of criminals. I might as well start somewhere,” Genji replied. Jesse rubbed his chin, still contemplating Genji’s offer. Honestly, was it that difficult to even consider? 

Then Genji realised something.

Genji couldn’t help but notice parallels between his old playboy personality and Jesse, except Genji was never  _ this _ insistent with any of the girls he dated. Ordinarily if the girl wasn’t interested in him, Genji respected her wishes and stepped away. 

Maybe Jesse was just persistent… Or maybe he had genuine feelings for him? Genji contemplated this possibility.

If Jesse had this much trouble to stop being so amorous with him, then perhaps this possibility was a reality… Imagining this to be true, Genji shook his head, unable to come to terms with what he felt. Yes, he admitted that Jesse was handsome… in a rugged sort of way. To be honest, Genji always wondered what sex was like with a man and… to be on the receiving end. The girls seemed to enjoy it  _ very _ much, so that made Genji naturally curious. Yes, he  _ was _ fucked by Jesse that one time, but again, Genji did not ever remember the feeling of it. Considering Jesse’s responses to said incident, Genji would probably guess, and even hoped, that it would feel as good for him as it did for Jesse. 

With these thoughts in mind, another came to mind. Genji bit his lip, looking at Jesse thoughtfully. It could work… or it could spiral right into disaster. Genji knew that this action would fuel the small, unquenchable desire for Jesse’s closeness, but it could also push Jesse further away to a relatively platonic and comfortable distance. Seeing as Jesse remained stubborn, Genji defended his upcoming action as desperation.

“I do have a question for you,” Genji said, unable to believe that he was actually going for this. 

“I may have an answer,” 

“If I were to do something incredibly forward that really meant nothing, would you consider stopping with all your flirts? On me at least,” Genji proposed, biting his lip to hide his self-disgusted grimace.

“Gen, now just sayin’ that is pretty forward fer ya,” Jesse joked with a grin. “Can’t be sure I won’t see it as noth-”

Genji had enough of Jesse’s rambling and wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Cursing himself in his mind, Genji wrapped his fingers around Jesse’s neck, nails digging into the skin as a show of his own spite at what was about to happen. 

Jesse’s words caught in his throat as Genji interlocked his mouth with Jesse’s.

Genji held onto the back of Jesse’s neck, rubbing his chin against Jesse’s stubble. The short hairs prickled Genji’s chin, sending tingles along his face. Genji leaned forwards, slowly lowering Jesse onto his back. The blended smell of alcohol and cigarillo lingering on his lips enticed Genji to taste that mouth further and so, Genji did just that. Opening his mouth, Genji swept his tongue across Jesse’s lips, feeling the bitter taste flood into his mouth. 

Understandably, Jesse was taking this surprise kiss well. Very well. The cowboy ran his hand along Genji’s spiked, black hair. A calloused thumb shifted over to press on Genji’s temple. Genji felt his head spin as more pressure was put on his temple. Genji’s grip on Jesse’s neck and back weakened, allowing the cowboy to sit up and gain some reprieve.

Genji promised that this would be the first and only deliberate kiss he would have with Jesse. Therefore, he did not hold back nor did he accept Jesse’s attempt at establishing control. Pushing the cowboy back down and throwing his hat off in the process, Genji dug his nails into Jesse’s shoulders, raking his nails along the cowboy’s upper arms. He heard Jesse breathe in sharply, surprised at the sudden fierceness. As his hands gripped Genji’s thighs and shuffled upwards, the young Shimada grabbed onto Jesse’s hands, raising them back behind his head and pinning them to the floor. 

Genji gasped into Jesse’s mouth, taking a grateful breath before he bit onto the cowboy’s lower lip. He sucked on the lip before pulling away, string of saliva trailing between them. Wiping his mouth, Genji climbed off of Jesse and sat back onto his ankles. He scratched his shoulder uncomfortably as he looked down at Jesse, who was still lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes. 

What did he do? Why the hell did he just do that? He was digging himself a bigger hole now. Indulging in these carnal desires was sending him further back into his past. Even worse, Genji wasn’t even disgusted by what he did. In fact, searching for any answers deep within him, Genji realized that he actually wanted to kiss Jesse like that again. Regardless, he hoped that Jesse would agree to the deal and Genji wouldn’t have the temptation again. 

Genji cleared his throat loudly, snapping Jesse out of his trance.  

“Um… So do we have a deal?” Genji prompted. 

Jesse brought his hand up and stroked his lips with the pads of his fingers before a jovial smile came through and Jesse seemed to be back to his old self. 

“Holy ‘ell, Gen. Now that was a kiss,” Jesse chuckled, sitting up and patting his mouth.

“I said, do we have-” 

“Yeah yeah, relax, Gen,” Jesse reassured, raising his hand hurriedly with a half-smile, “No more of my irresistible charm. From here on, it’s just yer good friend, Jesse McCree.”

Genji narrowed his eyes at Jesse warily.

“Come on, Gen. I haven’t gone back on a deal yet, have I?” Jesse pointed out. 

“Perhaps so…” Genji admitted. The cowboy clapped his hand onto Genji’s shoulder.

“As a token of good faith, Gen, I’ll go arrange that meetin’ right now,” Jesse vowed, standing up and stroking his lower lip with a small smile, “Take it easy.” 

Genji watched the cowboy leave before catching sight of Jesse’s cowboy hat left behind. Reaching over, Genji held the brim of the hat in both hands, holding it close to take in the scent of Jesse’s cigars and the different alcohols blended together. Genji grimaced, trying to shake off that kiss he had just done. That was reckless and thoughtless; Genji could hardly believe that he had done that. 

Yes, Jesse was likeable and outgoing; Genji supposed that he could see the appeal behind that, but clearly he didn’t know when to stop on a red light. Genji nodded, standing up slowly while pressing his palms against the wall behind him. He found comfort in this one flaw, focusing in on it. However, this flimsy excuse for reigniting his hate soon collapsed upon remembering the party last night. Jesse had forced him to said party and Genji admitted that was the most fun he had in the past weeks. It reminded him of the times he would go clubbing and drinking back at home. 

And… Though Genji could not recall exactly what had happened  _ that night _ , Genji remembered vividly the taste of the Awamori that Jesse had brought him. It was like tasting a bit of home. It seemed that Jesse showed much more concern for him than anyone else in BlackWatch. Despite Jesse’s outwardly flirtatious attitude, was it possible that he had genuine feelings for Genji? 

Impossible. Jesse was just being his old self and helping out a close friend. Jesse probably just wanted a close friend with benefits. An earlier idea came to mind once more. Dismissing the small wanting in his heart, Genji ignored this idea. Neither of them were the type to just settle down. He scoffed to himself, shaking his head. A relationship was the very last thing that should be on his mind. Right now, the Shimada Clan and his brother were his topmost priority. What came afterwards… Genji never thought that far ahead quite yet, but he wasn’t really one to focus on the far future.

Genji furrowed his brow upon receiving a notification tone from his datapad. He had forgotten he had it on his person. Turning on the screen and inputting the password, Genji looked through his messages. It was a message from Jesse. 

_ South exit at 2:30am tonight _ :)

Genji stared at the message, stunned at how fast Jesse had arranged the meeting. However, he wasn’t really complaining. It would be nice to reconnect with Hanzo after a few weeks of separation. Considering all that has happened, there was much to discuss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be going on a temporary hiatus from this story to focus on other fics to be posted for the future. 
> 
> Once again, thanks to everyone who's shown support and a huge thanks to Serinae for beta-reading! I recommend you all check out her work, she's amazing!


	13. Chapter 13

Hanzo was not in his meditations. The information granted to him by Agent Amari was making him restless, making it near impossible to clear his mind. Yes, perhaps these alleged locations of the Shimada Elders were outdated, but it certainly helped as a lead.

As such, instead of meditating, he was examining the information and attempting to formulate a plan to deal with the Elders. It had to be as quickly and efficiently as possible, so that they would have little time to warn the others or respond to said warnings. He was so focused on this plan that he had not realized the night had passed. Not that sleep would’ve helped him anyways.

Hanzo couldn’t even sit still. Instead, he was pacing around in the cell he was isolated in, staring down at the datapad given to him. No one had entered the room since the sun had broken the horizon, which made Hanzo wonder what the time was. Setting the datapad down, he walked up to the one-sided glass, staring back at his own reflection. Furrowing his brow, Hanzo brushed the metal plate that was welded along his jawline before resting his hand on his chest.

Though these were cybernetic enhancements, they didn’t come without any flaws. He barely put up a fight against an assassin back at the Temple of Anubis. The constant monitoring of his breath already divided his focus. And though he was starting to become used to his prosthetics, they still felt unfamiliar and prevented him from reaching his full strength. Hanzo cursed under his breath, finding it incredibly humiliating that he had descended to this level. He was forced to depend on a medicinal tea now. And he was bested by an assassin he had most likely trained himself!

Hanzo turned his back on the window, bashing the side of his fist against the glass in frustration. He will never be able to live down this defeat. He looked down at his metal forearm, clenching his fist to spring open the panel and reveal the wheel of arrows installed inside.

“Hey, Han! How’s it going??”

Hanzo flipped the panel closed. He really did not need this right now. Hanzo needed some time to himself right now.

“Hello, Bayless,” Hanzo sighed.

“You doing all right there, bud?” Bayless remarked, punching Hanzo in the shoulder. Hanzo grimaced slightly, leaning away from the blonde agent.

“I’m fine,” Hanzo replied stiffly. Bayless snickered as he stepped around with his arms crossed, leaning forwards.

“Oh really, bud?” Bayless prompted, raising an eyebrow. “How are you really feeling?”

“I said I’m fine,” Hanzo repeated, holding Bayless’s gaze. The blonde agent narrowed his eyes, leaning forwards with his clenched fists on his hips.

“Suppose that’s good enough. I’m here to pass a message,” Bayless explained.

“From who?” Hanzo prompted.

“Some guy named Genji,” Bayless said. His eyes widening, Hanzo held onto Bayless’s shoulders.

“What is it? Where is he?” Hanzo asked frantically.

“Calm down there, Han!” Bayless advised, holding his hands up defensively. Hanzo let go of Bayless’s shoulders, “South exit at 2:30am tonight.”

“That late?”

“Listen here, Han. There’s this one rule…” Bayless whispered, glancing up at the security camera in the corner. Hanzo leaned in closely. “This rule says that BlackWatch and OverWatch should stay away from each other. You’re meeting with this Genji guy, who’s from BlackWatch, and you’re from OverWatch. And… Well, you get the idea.”

Hanzo stared at Bayless. What was the point of having a multinational organization if their own divisions were forced apart from each other? Shaking his head, Hanzo thought nothing more of it. Clearly people did not actively follow this rule and it seemed particularly easy to avoid being caught. It was none of his concern at the moment.

“I… see. Very well, I will meet him there,” Hanzo replied, nodding as he bowed to Bayless in gratitude. Bayless crossed his arms, slumping forwards a bit.

“You don’t look okay, hombre. What’s bothering you?” Bayless asked.

“There is nothing,” Hanzo reassured, nodding. Bayless didn’t seem convinced.

“Come on, you can tell me. I can obviously keep a secret,” Bayless insisted.

“Truly, I am all right,” Hanzo insisted.

“It’s about Genji, isn’t it? He your brother or something? You two estranged?” Bayless guessed. Hanzo breathed as slowly as he could before nodding.

“Yes, he is my brother. But we are not… estranged,”

“You don’t seem too sure of yourself,”

“Whatever this meeting will be, it will resolve anything between us,” Hanzo said, staring at Bayless steadily. The OverWatch agent threw up his hands and slowly turned around towards the door.

“All right, I’ll leave you two to it then,” Bayless said, giving his fellow agent a thumbs up over the shoulder. “Take it easy, Han.”

Once he was alone, Hanzo waited for a moment before pocketing the datapad and leaving the room. He had to become familiar with the meeting place. Along the way, he was starting to second-guess his decision for non-lethal implants. He was about to fight against individuals who had no qualms in making his death slow and excruciating. He had to have new weapons in order to match up

Dr. Ziegler initially came into mind. However, he shook his head. He could not involve her in his dispute with the Clan. She would not grant his request for deadlier weapons and he respected her for that.

He then thought of the engineer, Torbjorn. That man already had experience in weapons development. However, this would also draw attention to him. The last thing Hanzo needed was involve more people in this. Hanzo lowered his arm. He had made a vow. He had to stay true to it.

Hanzo then looked at the tangle of black ink etched onto his left shoulder and upper arm. After what had happened in Egypt, he could not trust himself with new, improved weapons. Whatever this… thing was, he had to keep it under check if he was ever going to fight against the Clan. Hanzo did not have complete control over… whatever it was and if it went unchecked, there was no telling what it would do once it was released. The grotesque bodies of the Clan warriors burned in his mind, reminding him of the primal savagery housed within him. It did not matter what implants he had; this creature empowered him and made him capable of far worse than just simple killing.

Gripping his left wrist tightly, Hanzo stared at the tattoos on his skin. This… creature brewing inside him seemed to thrive on his anger. He was starting to doubt whether this was an initiation that all Clan Masters had to endure. Hanzo could not recall a time when his father was more impatient or easily angered. However, Hanzo reminded himself that his father had warned him about this. This barely tempered beast within him was a test against his emotional control. His father had passed this test, thus Hanzo was confident that he could as well.

This meeting with his brother could not have come at a better time. Hanzo knew that his brother would help him overcome this difficult trial. Hanzo couldn’t help but notice the irony of him seeking help from his little brother when it was often reversed. He did find it a little humiliating to ask for said help. He knew Genji would never let him live this down. However, given the circumstances, his personal pride was a small price to pay.

His thoughts were momentarily interrupted upon passing by Commander Morrison’s room as Hanzo heard heated words from inside. Hanzo hugged his back against the wall near the door, listening closely. He couldn’t hear distinct words, though it was clearly an intense argument. There were two other voices alongside the Commander’s whom he did not recognize.

“You know how ridiculous this rule is, don’t you?” one of the voices demanded.

“Whether he opposes it or not doesn’t matter. This was a decision finalized by the Security Council,” the second said flatly.

“Secretary, it is contradictory to what we stand for,” Jack pointed out.

“Regardless, OverWatch’s reputation must be-” the second voice started before the first voice burst out into mirthless laughter.

“Of course, the U.N just covering their own asses as usual. They don’t want to be associated with people like us,”

“Commander Reyes, that’s not what she’s-” Commander Morrison started.

“My people risk their lives for your sorry hides, doing all the dirty work that you wouldn’t ever dream of in the shittiest of times,”  Commander Reyes shot back.

“Your work is appreciated, Commander Reyes, but-” the first voice, known to Hanzo as only the Secretary, reassured.

“Really? Hold on a moment,” Commander Reyes growled. There was silence for a brief time. “Wow, look at that. Lot of M.I.As and K.I.As on my end. What about the ‘faces of OverWatch’? Honorable discharges and medals? Where are my guys’ medals? Too dignified to associate yourselves with us cannon fodder?”

“Gabe, that’s not…” Commander Morrison started.

“Don’t ‘Gabe’ me, Morrison. From what I can tell, you’re in charge here. You got every right to pin those badges on my men,” Commander Reyes retorted. “But you don’t. Cause you’re too much of a pussy to pull your mouth away from kissing this sorry ass.”

“Excuse me, Commander. I have every right to-” the Secretary protested.

“To what? To _what,_ Madam Secretary?” Commander Reyes growled.

“Reyes, calm down. Please…” Commander Morrison begged. Hanzo heard a few steps from inside the room and he decided to bring his head away, unwilling to risk eavesdropping any further.

However, that conversation did reassure Hanzo a little. At least there was a high-ranking member clearly opposed to this separation rule. It definitely would help mitigate any potential punishments and potentially overturn the rule altogether. Of course, at the present time, it was still a rule, however weakly enforced it was, and Hanzo had no plans to be discovered.

Hanzo paused when he walked by Dr. Ziegler’s office. He remembered their last meeting, where he acted nothing more than an aggressive hound. Remembering the look in her eyes, he realized that she was afraid of him. He should feel relief at this notion, knowing that it would drive the two of them further apart and draw the Clan’s attention away from her. However, he could not shake off the guilt and shame for this behaviour, knowing what she had done for him.

Against his better judgement, Hanzo brought his fist up and rapped his knuckles against the door. Receiving no response, he turned to leave before the door slid open behind him.

“Oh! Mr. Shimada, how can I help you?” Dr. Ziegler asked. Hanzo turned around, clearing his throat.

“I wish to speak with you,” Hanzo replied, bowing his head to her in greeting. “... In private.”

Dr. Ziegler raised an eyebrow at him before it came down into a furrow. Hanzo could see wariness in her gaze and frankly, he did not fault her for the suspicion. They didn’t exactly part on the friendliest of terms last time.

“Of course,”

After she offered him to enter first, Hanzo stepped into her office, his hands clasped behind his back. Slowly making his way towards her desk, he observed that nothing had changed much from his last visit when he had requested new implants. Hanzo did notice that there was much more paper piled onto her desk and he reminded himself to make his visit as short as possible for both their sakes.

“What is it you wanted to speak to me about?” Dr. Ziegler started, hastily gathering the documents into separate piles and shoving them into her drawers in order to clear her desk. He caught her glancing at the security camera in the corner.

“I…” Hanzo started, hesitating for a moment before he scolded himself in silence. It was just an apology. He had to stop overthinking it and just get it over with.

“Mr. Shimada…?”, closing his eyes.

“Dr. Ziegler, I wish to apologize for my behaviour yesterday,” Hanzo said. “I owe my life to you. My actions expressed disrespect and ingratitude for what you have done…”

“Mr. Shimada, it’s all right,” Dr. Ziegler reassured. However, Hanzo bowed low to her, taking care to do it slowly to avoid becoming light-headed.

“If there is anything I can do to atone for my actions...“ Hanzo murmured.

“Mr. Shimada, let it be. I accept your apology,” she insisted, resting her hand on his shoulder. Her fingers brushed against the tattoos on his skin, causing him to instinctively wince and shrug said shoulder away. “Though… I do have one question.”

“Yes, of course,”

"Why the hostility last night?” Dr. Ziegler asked a little warily. Hanzo closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging as he sighed heavily.

“I have nothing against you, Dr. Ziegler. It is just… It would do you well to not talk to me after this,” Hanzo muttered, still staying low. It was out of respect, but also out of refusal to look at her in the eyes. Though it was difficult push her away like this, his pain was unimportant and he knew it was ultimately for her own well-being.

“It’s because of that boy, Tumaini… Isn’t it?” she guessed.

“No… Yes… It’s not about him,” Hanzo muttered. He felt her hand touch his shoulder once again and he straightened himself, turning away from her and towards the door. “I just wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday. Nothing more.”

“You’re afraid of losing more,” Dr. Ziegler said. He faltered in his step, staring down at the ground. She was right. Hanzo had lost his father and Genji almost followed the same fate. The Shimada Clan made short work of the boy he had rescued back in Egypt. Hanzo did not want to think of all the possible ways they could torture and kill Dr. Ziegler. Perhaps it would be better if he stayed close to her and ensure her safety. However, after some brief mulling over in his mind, he still remained resolute in his decision; avoiding her was the best way to protect her.

“Perhaps, but it would be better for your sake that you did not press further,” Hanzo advised, about to continue on his way before he felt a firm hand grip his right shoulder. He glanced over; Dr. Ziegler had a rather stern furrow to her brow, which clashed with her overall angelic appearance. On her face, it was not an expression he ever saw, which threw him off guard and he actually felt a little intimidated by this change of expression.

“Mr. Shimada, it’s best that you let OverWatch handle this,” Dr. Ziegler said flatly.

“No, this is a conflict my brother and I must resolve alone,”

“Considering the injuries you suffered from fighting against one assassin, I doubt you’d fare as well against a dozen,” Dr. Ziegler pointed out. Hanzo tried to leave; her reasoning was making him doubt his decision to venture to Hanamura with his brother alone. However, Dr. Ziegler’s hand held firm on his right shoulder.

“Let go,” Hanzo ordered.

“Hanzo, you don’t have to be afraid of them,” Dr. Ziegler said, her tone softening.

“I am not afraid,” Hanzo replied stubbornly, though he was unable to turn his head to look at her. This reluctance was most likely why she was unconvinced.

“Then let OverWatch help you,”

“I can’t,”

“And why not?”

“You know the answer, Doctor,”

Hanzo felt the hand on his shoulder loosen its grip. Instead of leaving the room, he shifted his head to the side to look back at her. He found himself drawn to her eyes, meeting them steadily as they expressed an emotion that subconsciously reassured Hanzo. He searched for what was the correct word for such an emotion… It was… empathy. Did she suffer the same pains and fears as he did? And overcome them? Hanzo felt much more reassured by this connection and he rested his hand over top of his chest.

“Who… Who did you lose?” Hanzo asked, furrowing his brow. At this weighted question, she breathed in sharply, lowering her head and biting her lower lip. Hanzo immediately felt regretful for asking such a personal question. Perhaps she did suffer the same pains, but clearly she did not fully move on from them.  “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...”

His voice trailed off and he raised a hand hesitantly to rest on her shoulder before she tucked a tuft of her hair back behind her ear and walked around him without a word. She seemed to have recovered. However, as she passed by him, Hanzo saw that her eyes seemed as if her mind was elsewhere at a different time than the present. She stopped before the door, holding a folder of documents close to her chest.

“Enjoy whatever time you have with your friends and brother, Mr. Shimada. Because in this world… Anything can happen,” Dr. Ziegler said slowly. Her voice was even, though it was slightly monotone. It was as if she was trying to remain composed. Before Hanzo could inquire any further, she went on her way, leaving Hanzo alone in stunned silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to deal with school and other extracurricular activities, but I'm back now! 
> 
> Once again, I would like to thank everyone who's taken the time to read and support this fic! I do hope that I'll be able to crank out chapters more frequently!


	14. Chapter 14

Genji was sitting cross-legged in the shadows, slumped against the wall as he looked up at the night sky. It was a new moon, making Genji’s hiding spot that much harder to find. Though it was not difficult to sneak his way here, he had to skirt around a few guards at night. Jesse had warned him about them and even had the grace to give their patrol patterns. According to Jesse, people wandering in the night was not uncommon and ordinarily the guards weren’t too pushy whenever they found someone, but he advised that remaining undetected would make things a lot simpler.

Aside from the guards, Genji was alone. It seemed that he and Hanzo were the only ones meeting tonight. Good. Far less witnesses would be preferable. He twitched his left ear upon hearing a shuffle in the gravel and drew his Wakizashi blade, holding it out towards the source of said sound.

“Relax, little Sparrow,” a voice whispered from the darkness. Genji lowered his blade, breathing out his relief in a long, drawn out sigh as he sheathed his sword.

“Hanzo,” Genji greeted, smiling a little as his brother stepped out into view. His brother coughed out when Genji hugged him tightly.

“Genji, please. There’s no need to-” Hanzo grunted.

“It’s been too long,” Genji defended, pulling away and holding Hanzo by the shoulders at arm’s length. He tilted his head to the side, furrowing his brow. “I trust you’re fitting into OverWatch well?

“As well as I can manage. What about you and BlackWatch?”

“They’re… certainly eccentric,” Genji said slowly, thinking back to his conversations with them. “Frankly, I find them a little irritating.”

Putting in some effort to maintain his small smile, Genji studied his brother, noticing that something seemed… off about Hanzo. He seemed... much more tense than before. Understandable, all things considering. So he decided to state the obvious.

“You seem… different.”

Hanzo raised his eyebrow at his younger brother, wordlessly asking him as to how he had changed.

“You look to be a little more…. You,” Genji replied slowly. “As a friend of mine would say: It’s as though you pushed a stick further up your ass.”

“A rather disturbing analogy and I question your new friends… And the meaning is lost on me,”

“You seem more… restrained… And those tattoos, Hanzo… What happened to your dragons?”

His older brother smiled and bowed his head.

“They do not see me worthy enough to serve as their vessel anymore,” Hanzo surmised. Genji shook his head, knowing that wasn’t the full story. He squeezed his brother’s shoulders.

“Hanzo, what happened? You can tell me,”

“I… I was in Egypt for my first mission… So was the Clan. I attacked them… killed them,”

Hanzo seemed disgusted with himself after mentioning the last two words.

“I… I unleashed something. It was not dragons. Dragons would not have left such… soulless husks.”

Genji stared at Hanzo before eyeing the black jaws etched onto Hanzo’s arm. Reaching out, Genji stopped when Hanzo pulled his arm away for a moment before hesitantly bringing it back. The younger Shimada brother brushed his fingers along the older one’s arm. Genji felt something stir beneath the skin and it was not a pleasant feeling. He knew that this unknown spirit was scaring Hanzo and frankly, Genji was a little less reassured to know that his brother was afraid. The younger Shimada struggled to figure out a reasonable explanation that would also be reassuring.

“Perhaps… Perhaps this is a test,” Genji finally suggested. Hanzo let out a small sigh of relief.

“That is what I thought too,”

“Maybe… Maybe this is a test that all Masters must go through… Future Masters,”

“You think Father had such a test?”

“He did advise you on such things, didn't he?”

“I… I suppose he did, thinking back on his words,”

“Then you have nothing to be afraid of, brother. Just remember our father’s advice,”

Genji rested his hand on Hanzo’s chest, over top of his heart. Hanzo held his brother’s hand tightly, nodding. However, the younger Shimada still sensed unrest within the older brother.

“Brother… What should we do about the Clan?” Genji asked. One of them had to mention it. Hanzo frowned slightly at this heavy question, clearly deep in thought. “That is what’s bothering you, right?”

Hanzo said nothing, his brow weighed down by a burden that Genji could not discern.

“Do you think we even have a chance against them, Genji? Perhaps we should consider moving to somewhere more isolated,” Hanzo replied. Genji reeled his head away from his brother at this suggestion, taken aback.

“What?  Brother, you met them in Egypt! In Egypt! Do you know how far from Japan that is??” Genji pointed out. “We can’t hide from them anymore, Hanzo. We have to fight them head-on!”

“That is exactly how they would be expecting us!”

“Obviously I’m not suggesting we storm Shimada Castle. We would have to be smart about this,” Genji said, nodding in acknowledgement. He watched as Hanzo pulled out a small datapad, bringing up a map of Japan with marked locations across the country. “What are those?”

“Overwatch gave me the last known locations of the elders,” Hanzo explained, holding the datapad out to his younger brother. Genji took the device and observed the locations.

“Hanzo, this is… This is exactly what we need,” Genji breathed, his eyes widening. “You don’t seem exactly reassured, brother.”

“Genji, how can the two of us fight against them? I could barely fight against one and you… You haven’t yet completed your training.”

“I’ve learned plenty under Blackwatch, Hanzo,” Genji defended, looking a little proud of himself. “I think you should be jealous of my trainer.”

“He seems to lack finesse and grace in his practices,” Hanzo remarked, crossing his arms and looking rather wounded.

“Perhaps we should stick to unconventional if we are to beat the Clan,”

“What, like your ridiculous hurricane spin?”

Genji bowed his head, still conscious of the fact that he had used such a move to make Hanzo into what he was now. However, his older brother patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t think too much on it, Genji. It was a well-timed attack,”

Genji couldn’t help but feel a little elated of his brother’s praise. Encouraged by this, he pressed on.

“Remember, they have taught you everything you know and you taught me everything you know. We have to be unpredictable,” Genji added, tapping the palm of his hand with his index finger. Hanzo listened intently and nodded.

“We will have to wait for a few more days before making our move. We need more information before we strike,” Hanzo decided.

“I’ll send a message if I ever find anything,” Genji promised.

“As will I,” Hanzo replied. There was a brief pause before Hanzo suddenly smiled at Genji. The younger Shimada furrowed his brow at this.

“What’s with the sudden smile, Hanzo?”

“You’ve changed. I’m proud of you, Genji. You’ve matured into a far greater man than I ever could hope to be,”

“It was only because you helped me become that man, Hanzo.”

“I suppose I did have a part,”

“Who are you and what have you done with Hanzo? You normally wouldn’t hesitate to take credit,” Genji remarked with a grin.

“I suppose both of us have changed. I hope that you have been meditating more frequently?”

Genji bit his lower lip, looking to the side a little shamefully. While he was indulging once more in life’s pleasures, his brother was once again plagued by the Shimada Clan. Scratching his shoulder, Genji tried to look nonchalant at Hanzo’s question. However, his brother was not fooled and the younger Shimada was reminded once again how useless it was to try and hide from his brother.

“Genji… Who did you sleep with again?” Hanzo sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“He made me drunk. I had no control over it,” Genji muttered, attempting to downplay it. However, all it took was one single word to elicit a reaction from Hanzo; it was not a gentle reaction.

“He? _He?_ ” Hanzo said, his eyes widening. Realizing his mistake, Genji raised both of his hands quickly, waving them.

“It was an accident, it didn’t happen again!”

Hanzo merely stared at Genji, stunned into silence. His mouth was agape, unable to form any words that came to thought. Genji smiled a little sheepishly, looking back at his brother. Hanzo closed his mouth, bowing his head.

“...Hanzo?” Genji asked expectantly. After a moment, he noticed that Hanzo’s shoulders began to shake a little. Listening closely, Genji realized that he was laughing! “Brother..?”

“Genji… It seems that you haven’t changed at all. In fact, I think you’ve gotten worse,” Hanzo remarked, chuckling.

Genji hunched his shoulders, looking a little mortified at this. Genji couldn’t quite figure out whether he should be relieved or indignant at this remark. Remembering the good times he had with BlackWatch only yesterday, Genji knew that he hadn’t entirely moved on from his playboy ways. Whether or not he wanted to embrace said ways was still up for debate. Yes, he admitted that he was tempted to give in, but once again, Genji reminded himself that he was responsible for their exile from the Clan because he had given into that temptation many times before. Genji knew that Hanzo could sense his uncertainty, evident in his faltering smile.

“Genji, you don’t seem exactly reassured.”

“I… I don’t know if I am alright with this change… or lack of,” Genji said uncertainly. However, Hanzo frowned and shook his head.

“You should be, brother,” Hanzo advised. Genji looked at Hanzo in surprise, but also with a bit of relief.

“Why...? I… What I did… It’s why you’re...”

“It doesn’t matter what you did. What matters is now,” Hanzo said, shaking his head. “After living so many years in such a free life… I won’t fault you for wanting all that.”

Genji attempted to think of a reply, perhaps to say he did not want such things anymore. However, to hear such words come from Hanzo’s mouth… Genji bit his lip, closing his eyes tightly. He felt the hands on his shoulders tighten and knew that Hanzo was waiting for a response.

“I… I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to live that life again,” Genji admitted quietly. Suddenly, he was pulled in for a hug from his brother. Genji’s hands stuck out awkwardly before gingerly resting on his brother’s back. Genji sensed a sort of longing, even jealousy in Hanzo’s hug. Thinking back on their times together, Genji remembered how widely his brother smiled whenever they ventured off into the city, the Clan pushed to the back of Hanzo’s mind. Back then, there was restraint, yes, but it seemed more reluctant than whenever he was with the Clan.

“Perhaps I will go back… But you should learn to embrace that life as well,” Genji said, giving Hanzo an abrupt shake by the neck for emphasis. Hanzo merely shrugged.

“It’s not my place, our father-” Hanzo muttered.

“What our father wanted was for us to live our own lives,”

“My life is with the Clan,”

“Brother, you know very well that’s not true. What could father truly do against all the elders? He had no choice, you and I were forced into that life,” Genji explained, resting his forehead against Hanzo’s. “I see you and I only see tolerance, not acceptance. I know you longed to live a life like mine… Perhaps not exactly the same, but I know you wanted to just live without such… expectations.”

Genji knew that these words had an impact on his brother. Hanzo pressed his lips against his clenched fist, furrowing his brow. Genji watched as Hanzo closed his eyes, a tear pooling at the corner of his eye. Seeing his brother, such a stoic man, display such vulnerability… Genji felt like he was the older brother now. He hugged Hanzo tightly. Genji could sense his brother truly relaxing for the first time in his life and this new change prompted Genji to feel relief once more. It was something that they both needed, and something Hanzo long deserved.

“It’s time that we start living for ourselves,” Genji whispered, closing his eyes as the two brothers stayed locked in an embrace as Hanzo buried his face in his little brother’s shoulder.


	15. Chapter 15

Hanzo was not meditating. Instead, he was wandering through the hallways, lost in his own thoughts. Genji’s words from their meeting last night lingered in his mind. Hanzo never had thought of a life outside of the Clan; he was so focused on making his father proud and rise to become Master of the Clan. Now that he was cast out, Hanzo realized that his future was laid open for him. The real question was where his future would lead him.  

Someone bumped into Hanzo’s shoulder, snapping him from his personal thoughts. It was Al-Farouk, who looked to be a little out of breath and was hurrying for something. Two other OverWatch agents rushed past.

“Hey, Hanzo! Come on, big meeting!” Al-Farouk called out over his shoulder. Hanzo furrowed his brow as he quickened his pace, walking a little behind the trio. A meeting? Hanzo never received any notice of it. Perhaps it was announced during the night when he was busy meeting with Genji.

Following after Al-Farouk, Hanzo found himself in a relatively spacious lounge, complete with a T.V and kitchen area. However, there was hardly any standing space available as the room was completely filled with OverWatch agents. Slowing down, Hanzo couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer diversity of agents, both in ethnicity as well as attire. Yes, many of the agents were wearing the standard OverWatch blue armor, but others had their own unique uniforms that differed them from everyone else. One of the many that stood out was a bearded man who towered over everyone by at least two feet and was clad in heavy medieval armor. Looking to the other side, Hanzo had to blink hard a few times when he caught sight of what looked to be a massive gorilla in heavy white armor.

“Hey! Han!” a voice called out. Over top of all the chattering, this calling out was barely audible. Hanzo scanned the crowd to spot Al-Farouk and Bayless waving at him.

Seeing as there was no one else he could recognize, Hanzo made his way over to the pair. He gave them a small smile as he shook Al-Farouk’s hand. Bayless, on the other hand, looked at Hanzo with an inquisitive look, reminding him that it was Bayless who passed on the information from Genji about their meeting last night. Hanzo wordlessly nodded to Bayless in response and it was all the blonde agent needed to understand that the meeting went well.

“Good to see you again, Han,” Al-Farouk remarked, throwing his arm around Hanzo’s neck. Hanzo instinctively stiffened at the contact. “Hey, relax! You’re among friends now!”

Hanzo didn’t know what to make of that comment. He considered denying it and then making an excuse to leave, knowing that it would be for their own good. However, Al-Farouk’s high spirit resembled Genji’s own and Hanzo felt a sort of longing in his heart that lingered after their meeting had finished last night. To have such a kindred relationship was something that Hanzo wished to have in Genji’s absence. He realized this need when he talked with Genji last night. Once again, Hanzo scolded himself, reminding himself of the Clan's threat. However, Dr. Ziegler’s words echoed in his mind;

‘ _Enjoy whatever time you have with your friends and brother_ ’.

“I… I suppose I am,” Hanzo murmured, prompting Al-Farouk to hug the reserved Shimada from the side.

“Whatever this meeting’s about, it seems pretty big. Better prepare an extra pair of pants,” Bayless remarked. Hanzo felt the edges of his lips twitch upwards at this comment, though he silently scolded himself for smiling at such a ridiculous remark.

“Commander on deck!” an agent announced. At once, all the OverWatch agents straightened and saluted. Hanzo pressed his fist against the left side of his chest and bowed.

“At ease, all of you,” Commander Morrison announced, prompting everyone to relax. “The reason I’ve called you all here is because there’s a special event coming soon.”

There were murmurs here and there throughout the crowd. Hanzo remained silent, listening intently with his arms crossed.

“Gerard, come up here, would you?” Commander Morrison prompted. Hanzo peered around the bodies in front of him to spot a man with short curly brown hair and a sharp jawline standing beside Commander Morrison. “Everyone, this is Major Gerard Lacroix. He’s one of our best agents, some of you know him as your CO.”

There were several scattered greetings throughout the crowd to the man.

“Bonsoir, mes amies,” Gerard replied rather jovially. Commander Morrison stepped up with his hands behind his back.

“Major Lacroix is going to be undergoing the most important day of his life. I think some of you know what that day is,” Commander Morrison continued, nodding in recognition to some people within the crowd having mixed levels of happiness. Hanzo caught sight of Captain Amari resting her hand on Gerard’s shoulder. The two of them exchanged looks and it seemed as if there was a sort of understanding between them. Gerard smiled a little sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

“It’s true. Amelie and I are getting married…” he said, hunching his shoulders. There were scattered voices congratulating him. Not personally knowing the Major well enough, Hanzo didn’t care as much as he should and couldn’t see what made this meeting so important to call every agent to it.

“On a more important note, the Security Council decided to make an exception to a specific rule in our operations,” Commander Morrison continued before smiling charmingly as he gestured for someone within the crowd. The individual walked out to take his place on the Commander’s left.

This man did not look to be a very pleasant and approachable man. A short beard around his mouth, he had a menacing scowl that threw the scars on his face into greater prominence. The clothes he wore, which consisted of leather pants and a black armored hoodie, did not exactly match any of the bright or relatively bright colors of the OverWatch agents in the room. What caught Hanzo’s attention was the BlackWatch logo on the right upperarm.

“Everyone, this is Commander Reyes, leader of BlackWatch,” Commander Morrison introduced. A few people within the crowd murmured greetings to him. The stern man nodded curtly in acknowledgement. “The reason why he’s here is because the Security Council has allowed for both BlackWatch and OverWatch members to attend the wedding ceremony.”

There were excited whispers at this news. Hanzo stared at the Commander, stunned and understandably elated. He would be able to meet and talk to Genji without any fear of discovery. The significance of this meeting became much clearer in Hanzo’s mind.

“Looks like you don’t have to worry so much about getting ratted out, huh?” Bayless whispered from the corner of his mouth, nudging his elbow against Hanzo. Hanzo couldn’t help but chuckle a little, his spirits lifted at this news.

“Yes, of course. It’s quite a relief,” Hanzo admitted.

“There is a dance component for this ceremony, and I expect all of you to at least attempt to learn how to partner dance,” Commander Morrison announced. Once more, excited murmurs spread throughout the crowd. “Better gather your nerves and ask around, or all the good ones will be taken.”

Hanzo already knew his answer to that dance; it was an absolute ‘no’. However, his initial answer wavered slightly when he eyed Dr. Ziegler through the crowd, looking at her contemplatively. However, he shook his head dismissively. After his prying last night, he was sure that she wanted to avoid him. Hanzo considered apologizing once more to her, but decided against it. Best that it was forgotten. Perhaps now, the Shimada Clan would turn a blind eye on her.

“You don’t have to make such a big deal out of it,” Gerard said sheepishly.

“You’ve done a lot for OverWatch, Major Lacroix. This is the least we can do,” Commander Morrison replied with equal modesty. “Commander Reyes, you have anything to say?”

“I don’t expect all of you to get along with my agents,” Commander Reyes grunted, though Hanzo caught small hints of a smirk. Clearly Reyes was aware of OverWatch and BlackWatch agents sneaking around during the night. “But OverWatch is about getting along.”

“Remember those words during the ceremony,” Commander Morrison advised before saluting to the crowd. “All of you are dismissed.”

As all the agents began to disperse, Hanzo was left standing there uncertainly. He jumped when someone clapped their hand on his shoulder.

“Agent Shimada, if I may have a word?” Captain Amari ordered, facing the door and beckoning to him over her shoulder with her index finger. Following her out of the lounge, Hanzo was led into a large empty room, curtains draped over the windows and the floor sleek with a recent wax. It looked much like a ballroom. He was suspicious as to what were Captain Amari’s intentions. He watched her warily as she walked to the windows and threw the curtains open to let sunlight flood in.

“So, Hanzo. Are you ready for your first lesson?” Captain Amari asked, her hands held together behind her back. Hanzo reeled his head back a bit.

“First lesson…?”

“Dance lesson, of course,”

Hanzo stumbled back a few steps, staring at her. She was joking, wasn’t she? She had to be joking. He knew that she would take much more convincing than Bayless or Al-Farouk.

“I’m not attending, so you’re wasting your time,” Hanzo said, shaking his head. Captain Amari seemed to have been expecting this answer, because her smile remained unwavering.

“I’m sure you don’t really mean that,” Captain Amari replied.

“No, I do. I am merely not interested,”

“Perhaps if you found someone to go with to the ceremony?”

“There is no one,” Hanzo muttered, meeting her gaze steadily. He knew from her piercing stare that she was reading him, trying to uncover the truth behind his statement. He had hoped that she would understand his refusal, but that certainly didn’t seem to be the case. Dr. Ziegler lingered in his mind, but Hanzo did his best to make his lie believable. Unfortunately, it seemed that his best was not enough to convince Ana.

“Angela is not ‘no one’,”

“Who is Angela?”

“Hanzo, you may be able to fool those two, but you’re wasting your time lying to me,”

Hanzo’s shoulders sagged and he sighed heavily, bowing his head.

“Yes, I suppose it’s the truth. I do have feelings for Dr. Ziegler,” Hanzo admitted. “But it’s nothing to take action on. A simple crush. Anyways, it’s better that I keep away from her.”

“Come now, Hanzo. Did you forget my words so easily?” Captain Amari scolded, clicking her tongue at him. “Don’t separate yourself from your family. Keep them close to you. For Angela… Keep her closer.”

“I cannot. It is for their own-” Hanzo insisted before Captain Amari’s smile faltered as she held up a hand. Sensing the change in her mannerisms, Hanzo felt much more inclined to hear what she had to say.

“The world is harsh, yes. It’s deadly, but so beautiful. Isn’t it bonds like love what keeps us strong?” Captain Amari pointed out. “You are so determined to fight the Clan for your brother, right? For better or worse, bonds like that give everything meaning.”

Hanzo contemplated these words, walking away and leaning his back against the wall as he looked down at the ground thoughtfully. However, he shook his head.

“I can only trust to hold myself together if there’s no one else to hold me back,” Hanzo replied, bowing his head. However, Captain Amari’s hand came into view, the palm facing up. He raised his head reluctantly to meet her gaze. She was smiling again in a reassuring and motherly way.

“Take the advice of an old woman who made the mistake of loving too late,” she said solemnly. There was a tinge of sadness in her eyes. Hanzo recognized it to be empathy, the same in Dr. Ziegler’s eyes.

‘ _It’s time we start living for ourselves,’_

Genji’s words echoed in his mind. Hanzo considered whether to take these words to heart. He eyed the tattooes on his left arm, remembering what he had done in Egypt. If he just indulged in life’s simple pleasures, perhaps he wouldn't be so...prone to rage. Perhaps this was how his father overcame his demons.

Reassured by this theory, Hanzo closed his eyes and breathed in sharply before exhaling with equal force. When he opened his eyes, he saw Captain Amari holding her hand out expectantly. Hanzo took it.

“Very well, let’s start,”

* * *

“Oi, Gen! Wake up!”

Genji groaned, rubbing his forehead as someone shook his shoulder. He rolled over onto his other side, pulling in the blankets tightly around him. When the shaking continued, Genji pulled the covers up over his head, curling up in the solace of his soft cocoon. Needless to say, the young Shimada was not a morning person, especially since he stayed up late last night meeting with his brother. His intruder remained insistent.

“This is kinda important, mate!”

Genji growled under his breath before groggily sitting up, his face still covered by the blankets. Through the thin cloth, he caught a faint silhouette, though it wasn’t clear enough to figure out the identity of said silhouette.

“You still hear me?”

Genji nodded a little sleepily, still wrapped up. He recognized the voice as Seamus.

“Listen here, you missed a big meeting from the Commander,”

“Mm…?” Genji prompted.

“Gerard Lacroix’s getting married. You’re probably not familiar with that bloke, but he’s pretty big among us in BlackWatch. Big bud of ours,” Seamus explained. Genji flopped back down onto the bed, disinterested in this news. He didn’t know Gerard well enough to feel any happiness towards the OverWatch agent. “And both BlackWatch and OverWatch guys are invited.”

Genji flung the blankets off from his face, widening his eyes. He looked over to see Seamus, who wore a wide grin.

“Figured that’d wake you up,”

“Explain,” Genji demanded, sitting back up.

“Yeah, Major Lacroix appreciates our work and he invited everyone in BlackWatch,” Seamus replied, nodding before giving Genji a light punch in the shoulder. “And there’s going to be a dance component to the ceremony. Partner dancing.”

Genji’s eyes widened at the last two words, thinking on this. Yes, of course he was happy to know that he would be able to talk with Hanzo once more, but for some reason, he seemed excited for the partner dancing.

“... What kind of partner dancing?” Genji asked slowly, looking down at his lap.

“Knowing Gerard, probably some slow dancing,”

“I see…”

“Know who you’re going to ask?”

Genji raised his head, thinking on this. In all honesty, there was only one person he actually considered asking. However, he withheld this information at the moment, since he wasn’t entirely sure on this decision. Not to mention that if he said so, Seamus would gossip about it to the rest of BlackWatch.

“Maybe. Do you?” Genji said vaguely.

“Well… I didn’t do the asking. Other way around,” Seamus said uncertainly, looking a little embarrassed. Genji twitched the side of his mouth, amused by Seamus’s discomfort.

“Who is it?”

“None of your business,”

“I’ll tell you who I’m going to ask in return,”

“... Yola…” Seamus said, looking quite mortified. Genji stifled a snicker upon hearing that. “Shut up, it’s not that funny!”

“I pity you,”

“I’m not that fragile, mate…” Seamus grumbled, squeezing his left bicep self-consciously.

“Mhm… What about the others?”

“Jantis’s already got some girl. Adaro’s asked an OverWatch bloke,”

Genji nodded a little, feeling a little more reassured since Adaro asked a man out. Granted Adaro was a robot, but he was a male robot at that. It wasn’t that unnatural for him to be with a man. Genji felt more reassured by this. He should’ve known this by now, but after living so many years in a traditional household, it was easy to forget such things were tolerated and even welcomed.

“So… You gonna fill your end of the deal?” Seamus noted. Genji was hoping that Seamus would’ve forgotten about that.

“I am thinking of asking Jesse,” Genji admitted, scratching the back of his head. Seamus scratched his chin.

“Figured. That bloke wouldn’t shut up about you since yesterday morning,” Seamus remarked, Genji raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Two days ago…” Genji murmured before realizing that was the day he had kissed Jesse. “I… see. What has he been saying?”

“You don’t know?” Seamus said, looking at Genji in confusion.

“Well, no. I haven’t talked to him lately,”

“Huh. Figured with all the talking he’s been doing, you’d have known something. I’ve never seen that guy this fidgety before,”

Genji considered this very carefully. Jesse genuinely liked him? Amidst his conflicted emotions towards the cowboy, Genji couldn’t help but feel comforted by this thought, smiling a little to himself before realizing that Seamus was watching.

“He seems to really like you. Though the poor sod can’t find the words to say so,” Seamus explained. “He’s all nervous and antsy, since you made him promise never to hit on you again. What was up with that, by the way?”

Genji hunched his shoulders, immediately feeling guilt upon remembering that deal. Jesse didn’t seem to be that much affected by it, so Genji didn’t realize how much it hurt the man.

“I… I don’t know what came over me,” Genji admitted. Setting the blankets to the side, he put on black pants and then a form-fitting black t-shirt. He was still hesitant; Jesse was a man. However, that tiny, accursed voice within him urged him to ask Jesse to the dance. Genji remembered those hands stroking his back and running through his hair during that kiss yesterday morning. It was a tenderness that Genji longed for in his life, especially in these trying times.

‘ _After living so many years in such a free life… I won’t fault you for wanting all that._ ’

Turning to sit on the side of his bunk with his legs hanging over, Genji crossed his arms. His brother and father wanted him to live a life away from the Clan and they helped him to live such a life as best they could. Genji felt that it dishonored them, especially his father, to go against 0their wishes.

“Where is Jesse right now?” Genji asked, reaching down to fix up the metal clasps on his boots before standing up.

“Probably sulking somewhere in the lounge. You going to cheer him up, mate?”

“That’s my hope,”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The McGenji portion of this chapter is kind of NSFW. Just a warning.

Angela exhaled heavily as she set down the large amount of documents in her arms onto the desk, the binders and documents sliding down from the stack and across the table. She bowed her head, staring blankly at all the work she has yet to do. It seemed that it would be another sleepless night for her. Despite the work she would inevitably have to finish, she considered skipping it to attend Gerard’s wedding.

Angela never saw a happier pair than Gerard and Amelie. Angela was not an expert on relationships, but she knew that both would live a fulfilling life together. She sighed a little enviously, not jealous for either party but for the undeniable love they held for each other. Ever since the Omnic Crisis, Angela had dedicated her childhood and young adulthood to becoming a doctor and helping people. After the Crisis, she was approached by OverWatch and accepted their invitation, becoming the Head of their Medical Division. She was just so busy trying to help the world that she never gave any thought to romances. Of course, her patients would flirt with her now and then, but she made it clear that their relationships were strictly professional. That is, until she had met Hanzo.

OverWatch aimed to maintain global stability, but Angela disagreed with their aggressive, militaristic approach. Though she wouldn’t deny that their approach yielded favorable results, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy upon seeing many of the new recruits take to such violent means so readily. From her first meeting with him and his reunion with his brother shortly after recovery, she had hoped that he would have been different. He definitely caught her interest when he regarded the blade given to him with revulsion.  Even when she had finished replacing the blade with the nonlethal implants Hanzo had asked for, he seemed to regret his decision and looked as if he was going to ask her to take away the implants. However, Angela knew very well how much danger Hanzo and his brother were in, she could hardly blame him needing those weapons. Whatever he had done to those Shimada assassins, it weighed heavily on his conscience. To have remorse, even for one’s enemies, was admirable, especially in these days.

Their last conversation lingered in her mind. Though she did respect his insistence to keep others out of his personal affairs for their safety, Angela knew that Hanzo and his brother would not stand much of a chance against the Shimada Clan alone. From what Commander Morrison told her, they were a formidable organization; even OverWatch had trouble taking them down. However, she knew that there was a much deeper reason to his insisted isolation. It was something she had done herself after the Omnic Crisis, after she had lost her parents…

Angela sighed as she leaned back against her desk, hugging a folder close to her chest. It’s been over two decades, but it seemed as if it were yesterday. She had buried her grief in her work and thought she had moved on, but she had nearly broke down in front of Hanzo yesterday. Clearly the pain was still fresh in her mind. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, she turned back to her desk, occupying her mind with her work as she always did. Remembering how she had left their last conversation, she considered apologizing to Hanzo for her cold departure. A matter that could easily be settled right now, as it turned out.

Someone had knocked on her door and she opened it to admit them in. Angela reeled her head and stumbled back a bit in shock.

“M-Mr. Shimada?” she asked. Hanzo was wearing a white suit with a matching red tie, his hair tied back into a simple ponytail. It was as if a completely different person was standing before her. What caught her attention more was the small box in his hand. “W-Wait… is that…?”

“Swiss chocolates, your favorite,” Hanzo answered, nodding as he held it towards her.

“T-Thank you,” she replied, taking the box and closing the door behind him. Opening the small box on her desk, she popped one of the small chocolates into her mouth. She let out a small moan after biting into the sweet, finding much to her delight that it was indeed a Swiss chocolate. She never recalled ever telling Hanzo about them. After the initial confusion, Angela put two-and-two together. She could only laugh upon coming to the conclusion. “Ana and Reinhardt put you up to this, didn’t they?”

It seemed as if Hanzo almost instantly reverted back to his old self.

“Yes…” Hanzo grunted, clearly disgruntled. “Good god, they dragged me around for hours.”

“Haha, they’ll do that,” Angela acknowledged. “Not that I’m complaining, I appreciate the gift.”

“They said you would,” Hanzo muttered, trying to loosen the tie wrapped around his neck. Angela walked over, waving his hands aside as she worked on freeing him from the noose.

“You’re not exactly experienced in such matters, are you?” Angela pointed out, looking up at him with an amused smile.

“It’s not like I had much time for such matters,” Hanzo pointed out. Angela’s smile faded away as she remembered their last meeting.

“Look, Mr. Shimada… About yesterday, I’m-” Angela started.

“I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t mean to pry,” Hanzo interrupted, shaking his head before clearing his throat as the tie was loosened. “It is clear that whatever happened, it still hurts. I won’t mention it again.”

“Let’s just say that the Omnic Crisis took a lot from me,” Angela said slowly, crossing her arms and stepping back as she looked down at the floor.

“That makes two of us,” Hanzo piped up, prompting Angela to look back at him. She could see the same pain in his eyes, but he still remained as resolute as ever. How Hanzo could hold himself together, she did not know. To see such stoicism was inspiring. Angela silently vowed to herself to remain strong, no matter what.

“Best we can do is to make sure no such thing happens again,” Angela said, nodding.

“OverWatch seems to have a good start in that direction,” Hanzo remarked. Angela averted her eyes, thinking on his statement. “You doubt them?”

“I don’t question their motives, only their methods,” she replied, leaning back against her desk.

“After seeing the horrors of the Omnic Crisis, I can see why one would think that,” Hanzo acknowledged, crossing his arms and leaning on the desk beside her. She took comfort in his agreement and decided to switch to a more positive tone.

“Despite whatever may be happening, things are changing for the better,” Angela noted, taking her datapad from the desk and then examining a news report of a new peace accord that was about to be signed between Shambali leader Tekhartha Mondatta and London mayor Nandah in King’s Row.

“It would be good to finally see peace after the Crisis. A chance for all of us to start over,” Hanzo replied with a slight smile. “This wedding is a good reminder of that chance.”

“Of course… And I must say, Mr. Shimada, you do look rather dashing in that suit.” she remarked. Hanzo chuckled, fixing the collar.

“I did pick it out for myself. I must say, I wear it well. I suppose my fashion sense is one of my stronger suits,” Hanzo said pridefully. Angela rested her hand on her face, rubbing her fingers against her forehead.

“Oh dear, Mr. Shimada…” she murmured, though she couldn’t help but creep in a small smile. After knowing what kind of pressured life he lived, it was good to see him genuinely happy. It definitely helped her forget the stress of her work, if only for a moment.

“My apologies, Dr. Ziegler,” Hanzo said, though it was clear from his self-satisfied smirk that he wasn’t sorry at all. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you outside of work, have I?”

“Well, my work never seems to end,” Angela sighed, patting the stack of binders on her desk. So much for forgetting about her work.

“So I suppose you don’t have the time to accompany me to the wedding ceremony, do you?”

Angela perked her head up and stared at Hanzo in surprise.

“Wait… What?” she asked, dumbfounded. He seemed a little nervous, but also sure of his decision. His request was not accidental. Nonetheless, She wanted to know if she had heard correctly.

“Angela Ziegler, I was wondering if you’d like to be my partner for the dance?” Hanzo offered, holding his human hand out to her. “It’s only for one night, so you could spare the time for such an occasion, no?”

Angela stared at the outstretched hand, her mind racing. She was becoming keenly aware of the heat flooding to her cheeks. Wonderful, now she was the one who was flustered instead of him. No one else had actually walked up to her and asked her this question. Perhaps they thought that she would be too busy with her work and didn’t bother or they hadn’t worked up the nerve to. In all honesty, she actually had never thought of attending the wedding with someone. If anything, she would’ve gone alone. She rested her hand on his palm. However, the large amount of paper on her desk brought her back to reality, causing her to lower her head dejectedly and close his fingers.

“I’m… afraid I’ll have to decline,”

“And why is that?”

Angela sighed exasperatedly, taking one of the binders on her desk.

“I just simply do not have the time,”

“It seems I’m not the only one who needs to enjoy whatever time they have left,” Hanzo noted, taking the binder from her hand. “It doesn’t have to mean anything between us, I feel that you should rest after all the work you’ve done.”

“W-Well… I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to go,” Angela admitted. She was tempted to take Hanzo up on his offer. “I… I’ll think on it,”

She still remained indecisive, Hanzo straightened himself from the desk, resting his hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see him hold his gaze on her. Angela reflected upon their earlier conversations, where Hanzo could barely look at her in the eyes.

“As a friend once told me, anything can happen in this world. I suggest you make the most out of the time you have now,” Hanzo advised before patting her shoulder only once and then turning to leave. His change in behaviour definitely surprised her, though it was not entirely unwelcome. Yes, it was amusing to see him stumble over his words, but seeing him with a newfound confidence made him much more approachable than before. In fact, she found it a little charming. Upon seeing him approach the door, Angela bit her lip before quickly making a decision in her mind.

“Wait, Mr. Shimada?” she said, grabbing his hand. She felt Hanzo tense up slightly at her touch.

“Hm?”

“I’ll… I’ll try to come to the ceremony. No promises though,”

Hanzo rested his human hand over top of her hand holding onto his metal one.

“That is all I ask,” he replied graciously, resting his human hand on her cheek and stroking it briefly with his thumb. She let go to reach for this hand, but it was already gone. Bowing to her once more, he took his leave.

Angela stepped back, leaning her hands on the edge of her desk. She brushed her fingers along the cheek where he had touched her. She couldn’t help but smile to herself, feeling a little elated. Angela definitely liked this new Hanzo. It was endearing to see him finally open up. She silently thanked Ana for whatever she said to Hanzo to snap him out of his mental cage. As she turned around to face her desk, her smile disappeared and she drooped her head over her desk. She supposed it was back to work now. However, as she stared at the folders, Angela pounded her fist on the stack with a newfound determination. She was tired of letting her work interfere. She wasn’t going to tolerate one more time. 

* * *

 

Genji stopped before the doorway to the lounge, scratching his shoulder with the other hand on the door. All things considered, was this really wise? The Clan lingered in his mind and Genji lowered his hand. However, he scowled and raised his hand once more. He never let the Clan control his life before and he wasn’t about to let them start now. Opening the door, Genji walked in, scanning the room for any sign of Jesse. He heard voices near the TV and walked over with a greeting ready, only to find a large, broad-shouldered black man with sharp cheekbones and a woman with short, wavy blonde hair and dark brown skin. He did not recognize either of them and was about to turn around and leave when the man spoke up.

“Genji, are you looking for someone?”

Genji froze in his tracks and turned around to face the pair.

“J-Jantis?” he asked hesitantly. Jantis laughed loudly.

“I forgot, you’ve never seen me out of armor, have you?” he remarked before throwing his arm around his companion. “Mirembe, this is Genji, my student. Genji, this is Mirembe, an OverWatch agent.”

“You could just call me your date, you know,” Mirembe pointed out, nudging Jantis with her shoulder. He barely budged.

“Not official yet,” Jantis replied, throwing up his hands.

“I’m not going to get cold feet and back out at the last minute,” she huffed, rolling her eyes before grinning at Genji. “Pleased to meet you, Agent Shimada. We’ve never met, but I have met your brother and he’s a little…”

“Broody?” Genji finished, sharing a light laugh with her. However, he was still shaking off the shock of seeing Jantis in the flesh. He had never seen his trainer out of his armor; it should’ve been obvious that Jantis would be huge, considering that he was a former Crusader.

Genji checked the time and figured that it was early enough for OverWatch and BlackWatch members to meet in secret, though he supposed that with the ceremony coming soon, the rule was probably revoked for the time being.

“You looking for Jesse?” Jantis piped up. Genji nodded. “He was heading back to his room earlier. He did sulk a lot about you earlier when he was here.”

“Erm… Yes, that’s my fault. Don’t worry, I’ll make amends,” Genji promised, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “Thank you.”

Genji turned around to leave, but looked back at the pair. Jantis leaned in to whisper something into Mirembe’s ear. Whatever Jantis whispered, Mirembe gasped and clamped her hand over her mouth to hide her grin as she glanced at Genji. He merely sighed. So this was how rumors started. Wonderful.

Genji turned the corner to enter the living quarters for the BlackWatch agents. Stopping by the door labelled “J.M”, he raised his fist. Biting his lip, he rapped on the door with his knuckles. Crossing his arms, he waited for a response. For a moment, Genji wondered if Jesse was even in his room or somewhere else now. The door slid open and Genji straightened himself.

“Gen? Watcha doin’ ‘ere?” Jesse asked. Needless to say, the cowboy was a little worse for wear. His clothes were a little unkempt, his hair was all ruffled, and even his hat was askew, almost falling off his head. It was as if Jesse had just woken up.

“Jesse, is everything all right?” Genji asked in genuine concern. Jesse gave him a lazy smile, waving dismissively. Genji saw some ash fall from Jesse’s fingers down to the ground.

“Nah nah, I’m good. Your ol’ _buddy_ Jesse McCree is all good,” Jesse said sleepily, practically spitting out the word ‘buddy’. Genji detected scents of hard liquor in the cowboy’s breath. God, he was not taking rejection well. Well, Genji hoped that what he was about to do would help perk Jesse right up. It certainly helped that Genji was drawn to the smell of alcohol, so it would make his next actions a lot easier.

“May I come in?” Genji asked, gesturing to Jesse’s room.

“Yeah, yeah. Sure. _Friends_ are always welcome in Jesse McCree’s place,” Jesse murmured, turning around and then stumbling into his room. Genji was starting to consider this drunken, depressed McCree to be more annoying than the flirtatious one. Making sure the door was closed behind them, Genji rubbed the pad of his thumb against his lips, watching Jesse sloppily pour himself another drink.

Walking up behind his fellow agent, Genji swiped the drink from underneath Jesse’s hand, gulping it down. The bitter liquid slithered down Genji’s throat and he pursed his lips against the strong alcohol. Good god, if this was what Jesse was drinking for the past few hours, it was a wonder how he hasn’t died yet.

“‘Ey! That was mine!” Jesse protested, pointing an accusatory finger at the ninja. This was it. Once this was done, there was no backing out of it. Genji had only the briefest of hesitations before casting aside his doubts and hesitations. He stopped overthinking and decided to act.

Genji grabbed the wrist of the hand with the pointed finger, pulling Jesse in and pressing his lips with the cowboy’s. Holding onto the back of Jesse’s neck, Genji kept him firmly locked in as Jesse stumbled back, slamming the two of them against the wall. Genji felt Jesse letting out a surprised moan, his throat pressed up against Genji’s. He shuffled his hand down into Jesse’s pants before it was stopped. Looking back into Jesse’s eyes, he saw that they had gained much more clarity than before the kiss.

“Gen, what the hell?” was all that Jesse could say. Genji pressed his index finger against Jesse’s lips, leaning in towards his left ear.

“Do you remember that night?” Genji whispered, his breath heating up Jesse’s ear. “I want to do it again.”

Jesse’s hold on Genji’s wrist loosened, sliding up his arm and then resting on the side of his neck. Jesse looked at the young Shimada with a furrowed brow.

“Ya sure ‘bout this, Gen?” Jesse asked. Genji grimaced, shaking his head impatiently.

“Just shut up and kiss me,” Genji snapped. However, Jesse still didn’t act.

“Not sure if yer ready for my best,” Jesse warned with a teasing grin. Though Genji was glad to see the old Jesse again, it still frustrated him that Jesse was stalling.

“Come on, before I change my fucking mind,” Genji growled.

This seemed to get Jesse moving as Genji was suddenly pulled in with an arm around his lower back, a tongue brushing along his lips. He felt his robes becoming unlaced and falling to the ground to leave his chest bared. Genji grabbed onto the hem of Jesse’s shirt, sliding it up over his head and then throwing the shirt to the side. Rubbing his palm against one of Jesse’s pectorals, Genji felt hands slide underneath the back of his pants, grabbing hold of his keister. Refusing to be one-upped, Genji quickly unbuckled Jesse’s belt, grabbing hold of the skull and wings buckle to slide the length of the belt out from the loops of Jesse’s pants. Letting the belt clatter to the floor, Jesse pushed Genji’s pants past his hips when Genji opened up Jesse’s fly and then slithered his fingers in to grab hold of Jesse’s shaft, stroking it.

Then a distinct ringing sounded from Jesse’s pocket. The same ringing was also in Genji’s own pocket. Both of them brought their hands away from each other, reaching into each of their own pants to check on their respective datapads. It was a call from Commander Reyes for all BlackWatch agents to attend a mandatory meeting.

“Aw, leave it to the boss to ruin our moment,” Jesse groaned, rolling his eyes. Genji inwardly cursed his own commander for interrupting what was probably one of the most pivotal decisions of his life. Though he was going to attend the meeting, he did not want to leave their business unfinished.

“We can always continue after the mission,” Genji suggested, tapping his index finger against the center of Jesse’s chest. The cowboy grinned.

“That’s definitely somethin’ to look forward to, partner,”


	17. Chapter 17

Genji and Jesse rushed into the designated meeting room, quickly adjusting their uniforms as they entered. Many BlackWatch agents were already in position, gathering around a long, oval table in the middle. The two moved to stand between Jantis and Yola. Genji took the time to examine both agents closely.

Jantis was back in his full armor, resting the palm of his hand on the pommel of his sheathed broadsword. Genji had never seen Yola in her official uniform. It was a black military jumpsuit with dark red armor plating on the joints, chest, and shoulders. Her forearms has some sort of device on them, covered with blinking icons. A headset with a holographic visor was flipped down in front of her left eye. The BlackWatch symbol was plastered onto her left shoulder plate.

“Commander on deck!” Seamus called out, prompting all the BlackWatch agents to stand to attention. Commander Reyes entered the room, his hands clasped behind his back, as he walked to the far end of the table. He pulled out his datapad and enlarged the screen to project it onto the wall for all the agents to see. It was a news report from London, England. Some of the BlackWatch agents exchanged looks with each other upon seeing the footage.

It was complete chaos in King’s Row. Buildings were crumbling, rubble was scattered along the streets, and dozens of cars were abandoned on the roads. Citizens scattered in every direction, gunfire drowning out their screams. The camera darted to the right in time to capture a group of civilians being mowed down by bullets. Three bipedal Omnics in dark purple paint hobbled along and then systematically executed any civilians that survived the initial barrage. Genji winced a little upon seeing the bloodied bodies and then looked over at his fellow agents. Some clearly looked uncomfortable, while others were clearly enraged. Adaro, in particular, stared at the carnage without any visible reaction.

The cameraman turned around to find himself face-to-face with a massive Omnic with a large cannon on its shoulder. A hand raised into view as the Omnic fired its cannon, sending the camera into static.

“During the signing of a peace accord between Humans and Omnics, a terrorist group calling themselves Null Sector launched an attack on the city. No warnings, no threats, and so far, no demands have been made,” Commander Reyes explained before bringing up footage of the Prime Minister in a public address. “The British government has forbidden OverWatch from interfering.”

Genji thought of how absurd this was. Clearly the government failed to initiate an immediate response to this crisis, so why were they not letting OverWatch intervene? Lives were clearly at stake, this was no time for fancy politics to interfere.

“And unfortunately for us, BlackWatch is suspended. Therefore, we have to abide by the rules and stay onsite,” Commander Reyes pointed out. Some of the agents scoffed at this, barely containing their snickers. "Agent Shimada, McCree, Doherty, and Ainsley, stay behind. Rest of you, dismissed."

Genji and Jesse remained where they stood, alongside Yola and Seamus on the other side of the table. The rest of the agents filed out without a word.

“Front and center,” Commander Reyes ordered. The four of them assembled in a line at the front, standing straight. “Your mission is to hunt down the leaders behind this. A large scale attack can’t be controlled long-distance, so whoever’s in charge is somewhere in the city. First off, you four will scout out the area and give me a briefing on the situation. Any information you find, you send it my way. After that, you’ll move onto your objective. When you find the leaders, I want you to squeeze any information out of them before putting a bullet in their heads. You are to follow these orders. To the goddamn letter, you hear me?”

Commander Reyes paced along the line once before stopping in front of Jesse.

“Agent McCree, you’ll be in charge of this operation,” Commander Reyes continued.

“You got it, boss,” Jesse acknowledged, tipping his hand to his CO.

“I won’t lie, you’re operating with little to no info on the area. So don’t take any unnecessary risks. I don’t want to be burying any caskets after this,” Commander Reyes warned. “Dismissed. And good luck.”

* * *

Genji was twirling one of his shurikens between his fingers, tapping his left boot as the airship soared through the clouds. Jesse was flipping the lid of his lighter repeatedly, though by this time, Genji had gotten used to it. Yola was examining a holographic display being projected by her gauntlet. Seamus was busy tinkering with his rocket launcher.

“Two minutes to the destination,” the pilot reported from the front. Jesse pocketed his lighter and stood up, holding onto one of the handlebars on the ceiling.

“All right, we’re goin’ in blind for this mission, so I want all of us reportin’ every single detail,” Jesse explained. The other three BlackWatch agents nodded.

“One minute!”

Jesse let go of the handlebar, taking out a cigar and covering it with his hand as he turned on his lighter. However, the ship suddenly bucked to the side, causing Jesse to stumble and drop the cigar onto the ground. The other three BlackWatch agents stooped forwards in their restraints.

“We’re taking fire! Left engine’s gone!” the pilot shouted over his shoulder. A frantic beeping blared from the console.

“Make for a crash landing!” Jesse barked, clearly pissed at losing his cigar.

“It’s not going to be pretty!” the pilot warned as the airship suddenly banked downwards. Genji felt his legs rise up on their own from the reduced gravity. With considerable effort, Jesse managed to strap himself down in one of the chairs during the aircraft’s fall.

“BRACE FOR IMPACT!”

Genji pressed the back of his head against the seat and closed his eyes tightly. The ship rocked violently as it rolled sideways across the streets. Genji’s head jerked back and forth, struggling to remain conscious. When the rolling finally stopped, Genji opened his eyes slowly, examining his surroundings. The aircraft had stopped upside down and though it was broken beyond flight, the ship managed to maintain its structural integrity, leaving enough space for them to move around.

“Sitrep!” Jesse roared over the crackling sparks and low-pitched whines.

“I’m all right!” Genji reported.

“Present!” Yola added.

“Quite peachy here, McCree!” Seamus exclaimed. The cockpit was silent.

“Pilot! Ryles?!” Jesse called out. The cowboy unclasped his seat restraints, curling up as he fell onto the ground. Genji and the others followed suit. Their squad leader stumbled to the front to check on their pilot. “Ryles! Damn it, the pilot’s down!”

“We have to get moving now, McCree! I got energy signatures approaching our position!” Yola exclaimed, checking her radar.

“Ainsley, clear the area! We’re right behind ya!” Jesse ordered, moving back into the passenger bay. He pulled a lever, activating a ramp at the back. However, it creaked loudly and only opened up a small way.

“On it!” Seamus replied, heaving his launcher onto his shoulder and then kicking the ramp further down. Lowering his visor over top of his eyes, he knelt down, firing a rocket outside.

Jesse raised his index and middle finger, hand resting on his holstered revolver, as he waited by the opening. When the explosions subsided, Seamus gave a thumbs up over his shoulder.

Jesse signaled forwards, wordlessly ordering them to move outside. Genji kept three shurikens at the ready between the fingers of his right hand, staying low and following close behind Jesse. Genji’s left hand gripped the hilt of the blade sheathed at his lower back, his eyes flitting around the ruined buildings. Yola grabbed the chassis of a destroyed Omnic, dragging it along the streets behind them. The BlackWatch team moved along the right side of the streets before stopping in an alleyway. Going down on one knee, Yola pulled out a cord from her wrist, plugging it onto the forehead of the destroyed Omnic. She tapped away at her forearm before flicking her fingers to the side, bringing up a schematic of the robot model.

“Armor’s built to withstand standard ballistics, but as with everything, the head and joints are vulnerable,” Yola explained, examining the blueprint and then sending the info back to Commander Reyes. “It’s receiving transmissions from several locations.”

“Copy that, Doherty. Mind givin’ me a map?” Jesse asked, kneeling down beside her with his elbow on his knee. Yola nodded and then brought up a top-down view of the city. Genji and Seamus leaned in for a closer look. Three yellow triangles were placed onto the map. “I’ve tracked down signals coming from this building, the cathedral, and the main square.”

Seamus rotated one of the lenses on his goggled visor, looking all around them.

"No NSes anywhere near us. Best we move now," he explained, twisting the lens back and then sliding his visor up.

Jesse traced his index finger along the middle of the city, causing the two halves to be highlighted in contrasting red and blue.

“We’re going to separate into two-man teams to cover more ground,” Jesse explained. “Doherty and Ainsley will cover the building, Shimada and I will cover the cathedral and main square.”

“Really, mate? You’re pairing her up with me?” Seamus protested, gesturing to Yola. She punched him in the shoulder, knocking his goggles askew.

“Chin up, Ainsley. I promise I won’t bite,” she replied with a grin.

“Crazy twit…” Seamus muttered under his breath as he fixed up his visor.

“Think o’ this as a nice romantic walk,” Jesse suggested, stifling his snickers. Genji’s lips quivered when he tried to hold back a smile.

“Nice place for a walk…” Seamus commented.

“We’ll try not to kill each other,” Yola reassured, hooking her arm around Seamus’s neck and leading him away. “You two try not to enjoy yourselves too much.”

“We’ll do our best,” Jesse replied, tipping his hat to the other BlackWatch team as they left the premise. “Alright, Gen. Just you and me.”

“Let’s try to be careful here. It’ll be hard to continue yesterday if we’re both in casts,” Genji warned, patting Jesse’s shoulder as the cowboy peered out the alley.

“You got it,” Jesse acknowledged, nodding over his shoulder to his partner before pointing forwards. “Clear. Let’s move.”

The two agents filed out of the alley, creeping along the sides of the streets. As they pushed towards the designated location, Genji heard a distant, rhythmic rumbling. Jesse stopped by the arch with Genji leaning in to look over his partner’s shoulder.

“Comin’ in fer a pucker, Gen?” Jesse teased.

“Perhaps a little one,” Genji whispered into Jesse’s ear, pecking him on the cheek.

A massive purple turret was clamped onto the fountain base, revolving in place with the barrel aimed towards the sky. Every now and then, the sides of the barrel would glow with built-up energy before launching an energy bolt into the sky. Two large Omnics with shoulder cannons and energy shields stood guard by the turret, scanning the area.

“This is McCree. We found an AA cannon by the main square,” Jesse reported over their comms. “Guarded by two big guys with big guns and big shields.”

“We located a cannon in the marked building. Ran into some NSes by that description, but we scrapped them,” Seamus reported.  

“Null Sector calls them Eradicators. Real pieces of work. Their cannons can tear through tanks. One shot hits you and you’re dead,” Yola explained.

“You got it, Doherty. Thanks fer the heads up,” Jesse replied before tilting his head up. Genji followed his gaze to a gaping hole in the third floor of a building. “Think ya can get up there and flank around?”

“Can I?” Genji scoffed, rolling his eyes as he stepped back while rolling his shoulders. He pushed off the ground, grabbing onto the edges of some protruding stone blocks.

“Take care, darlin’. See ya on the other side,” Jesse said from below. Genji looked down and nodded before scaling up the building and climbing into the hole.

He was standing in the middle of a hotel hallway, complete with expensive carpeting, silver chandeliers, and candles hanging from sconces along the side walls. However, due to the extensive damage, some of the chandeliers were flickering their lights. Fortunately, most of the hallway was illuminated from the hole that Genji had just crawled through. Genji crouched low and crept along the sides, stopping before the corner and then poking his head around with three shurikens at the ready in his hand. When it was clear, Genji continued on, finally stepping outside onto a small balcony behind the AA cannon. He brought his arm up, honing in on the left Eradicator and then swiftly flicking three shurikens into its head. The robot stumbled forwards before leaning back precariously and then collapsing onto its side. The other Eradicator turned with its shoulder cannon powering up, before its head was shot off. Genji looked over at the arch to see Jesse giving his partner a two-fingered salute.

“I gotcha covered,” Jesse reported over their channel.

“Keep it up, I’m moving in,” Genji replied, taking a look at his surroundings before stepping off the balcony and landing softly onto the pavement. He caught sight of Jesse moving through the arch and towards the building to the right of the AA gun. When Genji saw the cowboy point ahead of him, Genji nodded and crept forwards, passing by the ruined fountain. Something caught his eye on his left and Genji darted his head towards the movement. However, it quickly shrank away into the window.

“Jesse, I’m going to go investigate something,” Genji said, making his way over to the building. “Keep moving, I’ll meet you at the cathedral.”

“Copy that, be careful, Gen,” Jesse advised over the channel.

Scaling the wall and peering over the windowsill, Genji climbed through the open window and into the room. He straightened himself, looking upon the other resident in the room. Genji shifted his hand to the back of his head, removing his Oni mask to look upon her face-to-face.

“I was wondering when one of you would cross my path,” Genji remarked, pacing along the walls as he dropped the Oni mask behind him. The other individual mirrored his movements, the two slowly revolving around in a circle.

Genji’s new encounter was wearing a black tunic, strapped down by a black belt around her waist. The hem of her pants were tucked into cloth coiled around her ankles and shins. Her steel grey boots made little sound as they stepped along the wooden floor. She was wearing a mask of a grinning geisha, betraying no emotion. Not even her eyes exposed her true thoughts, staring blankly at him. The left and right sides of her head were covered by similar masks to the first, except the left one was weeping while the right mask was snarling. As Genji further studied her, he saw on her right shoulder the crest of two dragons circling around and devouring each other’s tails.

“I warn you, I have trained much to prepare myself for this moment,” Genji said slowly. The Shimada assassin tilted her head to the side, saying nothing. Genji knew that this was time for him to finally test his skills. There was no room for mistakes here.

“Gen? What’s your sitrep?” Jesse asked on his comms. Genji scowled slightly in frustration. However, he knew that if he remained silent, Jesse would come to his position.

“Everything is under control. I’m handling it,” Genji reassured.

“But-” Jesse started before Genji cut the channel off. He didn’t need the distraction. He would have to deal with this threat quickly, because Jesse was undoubtedly going to arrive soon to check on him, most likely alongside Seamus and Yola as well. No, this was a matter that Genji had to deal with on his own.

Both Clan members, an assassin and an heir, unsheathed their blades. Both held their blades up before bowing to each other. Genji took a deep breath and exhaled to let his body relax. The dragons housed in his shoulders stirred within him, but he held them down. Not yet.

A bright yellow aura emanated from the assassin's body and then two lights emerged from either side of her shoulders. The masks on the sides of her head had disappeared. The two lights materialized into those very masks, slowly manifesting into two glowing, spirit clones of the assassin.

Genji had almost lost his composure, but managed to remain strong. He could not back down now. Begging for mercy was not something the assassin would take favorably. Taking one last deep breath, Genji twirled his katana in his right hand, holding in a reverse grip, as he raised his left hand to beckon the assassin over.

“Honki o misete miro,”


	18. Chapter 18

Hanzo pulled back the bowstring, firing an arrow. It was easily dodged by his opponent and he somersaulted to the side to avoid the flurry of bullets. The new outfit he was given was form-fitting and allowed much more freedom of movement than his previous uniform. Grabbing his bow by its lower limb, he turned around upon seeing the blue streak trail around to his back. He swung his bow, which narrowly missed his target. He slid his hand back up to the grip, deploying an arrow from his metal forearm. Leaning on his back leg, he tracked his warping opponent, firing the arrow into the ground. The arrowhead opened up, releasing half a dozen smaller arrows that scattered around the room. When none of the bouncing arrows made a mark, Hanzo’s eyes darted around the room. He heard his attacker zip behind him, prompting him to draw another arrow and then fire it right at her feet. A cloud of smoke puffed out, enveloping his opponent. He then drew two arrows, moving back a few steps before firing when he saw the smoke stir. She ran out, ducking under his projectile and blinking forwards to close the distance. When the blue streak flew past him, he quickly turned around, releasing his arrow. However, she suddenly disappeared in a flash of blue light, sending the arrow uselessly into the wall. Realizing that she had faked him out, Hanzo whirled around before he stumbled forwards when energy pellets dug into his back, stinging him.

“Going to have to do better than that, love!"

Regaining his balance, Hanzo turned around to face the speaker. It was Lena Oxton, a former pilot of OverWatch. From Dr. Ziegler’s quick explanation, there was an accident with an experimental plane and as a consequence, Lena was turned into a living ghost. Only the glowing device strapped to her chest kept her in physical form. And it apparently allowed her to control time.

Hanzo looked up at the observation room and saw Angela watching the fight unfold alongside a giant, bespectacled gorilla. Before the fight, Lena explained to Hanzo that the gorilla was a scientist named Winston and was responsible for creating the device on her chest. A talking gorilla scientist... And Hanzo thought he had seen everything.

When Angela noticed him looking over, she smiled brightly and waved at him. Hanzo lowered his bow and wave back at her with a small smile of his own. Then, he fell flat onto his back as plasma bullets pummeled the side of his head and knocked him over. He turned back at Lena with a glare at her. At the corner of his eye, he saw Angela cover her mouth with her hand. Judging from her shaking shoulders, she was doing a terrible job at hiding her laughter. Hanzo grimaced to himself. Quite wonderful to be humiliated like this in front of her.

Getting to his feet and rubbing his temple, Hanzo turned back to Lena, going down onto one knee and examining the arrow wheel in his metal forearm from the corner of his eye. A strategy forming in his mind, he closed the panel and stood up straight, beckoning to her in a taunting manner.

“You sure you want me to move first?” Lena warned with a grin, twirling her pistols in hand.

“Thus far, I’m not impressed,” Hanzo remarked, smirking.

“You haven’t seen anything yet!” Lena exclaimed, leaping forwards.

Hanzo hopped backwards, firing an arrow straight at her. She easily sidestepped around the projectile, causing it to latch onto the wall behind her. Loading another arrow, he misfired when she smacked his shooting hand, sending the arrow straight into the ceiling. Lena ducked when Hanzo swung his bow at her head before gripping both limbs of the bow in his hands. Pushing her wrists to the ceiling with the recurve of his bow, he tilted his head to the side to narrowly avoid her bullets before jabbing the tip of his bow into her stomach and then knocking her down by hitting her shoulder with the other bow tip. Hanzo aimed an arrow at her head as she knelt onto the ground, coughing. She then disappeared before his eyes in a flash, He turned to fire the arrow at a faint blue light that quickly brightened and manifested into Lena. Upon fully materializing, Lena quickly bent backwards before skipping to the side, looking back at the arrow on the wall that almost hit her.

“Whew, that was a close one!” Lena remarked, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

“Ready to give up, Agent Oxton?”

“Not a chance!”

“Your loss,”

She started zigzagging around, slowly closing in on him. After trying to get a proper shot on her, Hanzo decided to fire an arrow directly at his feet, spewing out black smoke that billowed around him. He smacked his metal forearm with the side of his human fist before leaping up with his knees tucked in. The two arrows he fired into the walls earlier launched a black wire in between each other. Looking down, the bottom of his feet landed on the wire, using it as a spring to launch high into the air. Breaching through the thick cloud, Hanzo aimed two arrows down towards Lena. Reaching the peak of his jump, he fired the arrows into the ground in front and behind her and then rolled as soon as he landed. Hanzo then tapped a certain spot on his metal forearm, causing the arrows around Lena to unfold. Sparks crackled and shocked the young OverWatch agent, stunning her.

Hanzo charged forward, winding his bow back. During his swing, Lena had tossed something through the air, sticking it to his shoulder. Before his bow connected with her head, the ‘something’ exploded. The resulting blast snapped the shock arrows and sent Hanzo and Lena soaring away from each other to opposite sides of the arena. Hanzo struggled to sit up, leaning on his forearms. Clutching his ringing head, he looked across the room to find Lena shakily getting to her feet. Hanzo rolled his aching shoulders, grimacing as he faced his opponent.

“Call it a tie?” Lena suggested, rotating her wrists.

“Absolutely not. I intend to win,” Hanzo said stubbornly. This didn’t seem to bother her that much. She gave him a joyful salute.

“Good. I’m not one to give up either,” Lena acknowledged, spinning her guns once in her hands. She took one step before there was a loud ring over the room’s intercom system.

“That’ll be enough, you two,” Angela announced from the observation room. “Agent Oxton, Commander Morrison wishes to speak with you in his office.”

Hanzo straightened up, seeing an end to their spar. Following Lena out of the sparring room, he separated from her when he headed towards the BlackWatch quarters, stopping by a door labelled ‘G.S”. He wanted to check up on his brother, since BlackWatch and OverWatch agents were permitted to see each other for the time being. He knocked on the door and waited, but received no response. Hanzo tried knocking once more, but his little brother did not answer.

“Looking for him?”

Hanzo looked on over to see Jantis, his helmet off and tucked underneath his shoulder. Hanzo nodded to Jantis’s question.

“I’m afraid that Genji is currently on a mission right now,” Jantis added. Hanzo’s eyes widened.

“What??” he demanded, stepping right up to the knight. Hanzo was well aware that the knight towered over him by at least a foot, but he hardly cared. “Explain!”

“Strictly confidential,” Jantis said firmly, shaking his head.

“Isn’t BlackWatch under suspension?” Hanzo pointed out, prompting a small grimace from the tall knight. With the Clan still at large, Hanzo wanted his little brother to stay back for his own safety. “I thought OverWatch was ordered not to intervene?”

It was clear that the BlackWatch agent was already getting irritated. Jantis was about to say something back before he eyed something behind Hanzo. Turning around, Hanzo was surprised, but not necessarily displeased.  

“Ange- Dr. Ziegler?” he said, bowing his head to her. She gave him a light smile before she raised an eyebrow at Jantis. The knight nodded curtly, taking his leave.

“How are you doing, Hanzo?”

Hanzo rested his hand on his chest, feeling the sleek uniform. He experimentally took a deep breath before sighing in relief. Perhaps a small ache, but the pain was bearable, at least.

“Better, thanks to you,” Hanzo replied, nodding as he took her hand and held it in his human one. “I hope you found my crushing defeat amusing.”

“It wasn’t my fault you took your eyes off her,” Angela replied.

“To be fair… It is difficult to keep my eyes off you,”

“Flatterer,” Angela said, nudging his shoulder with her fist.

“I try,” Hanzo chuckled. It was thanks to Ana that he no longer felt nervous around Angela or afraid for her. He was finally understanding how his father had overcome his demons and was now seeing life’s simple joys as Genji did. It was a feeling he never felt nor thought he’d ever experience. “How were the chocolates?”

“Oh, they were wonderful. Thank you,” Angela breathed, laughing a little nervously as she scratched her cheek. Hanzo couldn’t help but give her a wry smile.

“You ate all of them, didn’t you?” he guessed. Angela hunched her shoulders, scratching her forehead.

“Erm… Yes,” Angela admitted before she tightened her lips and raised her index finger. “I did not have any Swiss chocolates for two years. Don’t blame me for just indulging myself a little!”

“I’m not saying anything!” Hanzo replied, feeling his smile growing wider. He didn’t think he’d ever smiled this much before, not even around Genji. “If anything, you should indulge yourself even more, considering how busy you are.”

“That is, if I even have time to do that,” Angela sighed, raising the clipboard in her hand before looking over the papers. “Winston… and I wanted to make sure your cybernetics were in working order…”

“You don’t seem exactly reassured,” Hanzo noticed, furrowing his brow and tilting her chin so that she looked at him. She seemed to have difficulty meeting his eyes.

“I… They want to deploy you on more missions…” Angela murmured.

“And I suspect these missions are not helping refugees?”

“I… Yes,”

Hanzo considered this for a moment, looking to the side. He should’ve expected that something like this would happen. A cyborg such as him, a perfect example of a successful synthesis of man and machine, would do no good when grounded in a single location.

“I tried, Hanzo. I tried to tell them-” Angela started before she stopped when Hanzo laid a hand on her cheek.

“Angela, it’s all right. I promise you, I won’t lose myself,” Hanzo reassured before sliding his hand down to rest on her collarbone. “You have enough to worry about as is.”

“I…” Angela said before her voice trailed off, holding onto his hand. “I’m sorry. With this world and the Shimada Clan…”

“I can handle myself fine,” he insisted. “I no longer fear the Clan. I have finally reclaimed what they took from me at birth.”

Hanzo closed his eyes, his worries pushed to the back of his mind. He was at peace, finally able to forget all the troubles of the world and his life, if only for a moment. He felt her breath brush both of their intertwined fingers. He opened his eyes just a little to find her intimately close to him, her hand running along his chest and around his neck. Hanzo swallowed his doubts down as the two of them leaned closer, his metal arm wrapped around the curve of her back.

When their lips brushed ever so slightly, the two of them paused and then pulled away upon hearing a beep. Angela shuffled through the pockets of her doctor’s coat before taking out her datapad. Hanzo lowered his arm from her back as she looked back at him grimly, though she did have a small smile.

“We’ve been called for a new mission,” she said, returning Hanzo to reality.

“I… I see…” Hanzo said, feeling his fears return. However, Angela caressed his cheek. Hanzo felt his face tingle from the touch.

“Hanzo, I said ‘ _we’_ ,” Angela pointed out. Knowing the implication behind this, Hanzo admitted that he did feel a little more reassured by this. However, remembering what had happened in his last mission, he feared that he would lose control once more and unleash the demons housed within him against Angela herself.

“I know that. It’s just…” he started, hesitating as he looked down at the ground. His chin was tilted up to look into her eyes.

“I’ll… We’ll make sure you’re safe,” Angela promised. Hanzo bowed his head, clasping her hand tightly. He felt the corners of his mouth lift.

“Thank you,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “I promise I’ll keep you safe as well.”

Hanzo was seated against a crate, his hands lying faceup on his thighs, He was deep in his meditations, reflecting on the new mission he was given. It was certainly no easy task.

Against the British government’s orders, Commander Morrison had arranged for a strike team to intervene in the Omnic uprising in King’s Row. Thanks to a BlackWatch strike team, they found out that the airspace above the district was guarded by three AA cannons. As for the hostages… That was undetermined at this moment. They had to focus on taking down the AA cannons before moving on to find where Null Sector was holding the civilians.

Hanzo opened one eye to glance down. A small spherical drone was resting on his lap. Each of the strike team had received a small drone for the purpose of disabling the AA guns. The drone also had an emergency supply of nanodrones should any of them be injured in combat. Hanzo flexed his fingers, staring at the palm of his hand. He was still wearing the full-body, form-fitting suit from his earlier spar, but with some additions to it.

A chestplate was strapped around his torso, accompanied by a pauldron on his right shoulder. His metal arm was now replaced with another that had a bluish hue to it. His left shoulder and upperarm was exposed to the open air, while the forearm was reinforced by a heavy gauntlet. A fingerless glove was slipped onto his left hand, leaving him to move his fingers freely. Military pants were worn over his cybernetic legs, tucked into metal boots. A leather strap was slung over his right shoulder and across his chest, fastening a quiver of arrows onto his back.

Hanzo brought his hand up to rub his jawline, which was reinforced with a metal mask that covered the lower half of his face and heated the air he breathed in. This mask certainly did a far better job than the form-fitting suit he wore earlier. Hanzo felt much more reassured that he would not weaken during this mission.

A black belt was wrapped around his hips, bearing the OverWatch symbol on a medallion as the buckle. Hanzo took a moment to take in his new uniform once more. It was in the signature blue colors of OverWatch, affirming his allegiance to the peacekeeping organization. So he was officially accepted as a member. Hanzo couldn’t quite figure out whether this was something he wished on himself. Yes, it certainly eased his soul to now be considered amongst the greatest heroes of the world… And yet, it also made him disgusted as well. With all that he had done, he should not be considered a hero. No matter how much he struggled, he could not forget the blood that was stained on his hands. Hanzo knew that he was fighting against machines and not man, but it still did little to ease his conscience.

Hanzo looked at his strike team. Torbjorn and Reinhardt were exchanging words, wearing corresponding blue uniforms of OverWatch. Both of them were in the original OverWatch strike team, helping the world win the Omnic Crisis. Hanzo clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palm. What had he done for this world?

“Hanzo?”

“Hm?” he prompted, opening both of his eyes. 

“I understand if you’re feeling a little… uneasy. Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” Angela asked, resting her hand on his shoulder. Hanzo laid his right hand on top of hers. Angela had let her hair down and also had a change of uniform, wearing a modified Valkyrie suit in blue colors and a white hat to indicate her status as combat medic for the mission.

“Now that you’re here, I’ll be fine, Angela,” he reassured, looking up at her before getting to his feet. Brushing her golden locks back behind her ear, he cupped her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. In spite of everything, the Clan still lingered on his mind. He took note to be with his team should the Clan come again. “Promise me you’ll stay by the others.”

“I’ll be sure to stick close to them,” Angela promised, turning her head to nuzzle her cheek against his hand. Hanzo shuffled his hand down to rest on her shoulder before moving up the ramp into the airship.

“So you and the doctor now, hm?” Reinhardt asked, leaning his forearm against one of the ramp supports. Hanzo paused halfway up.

“I suppose I have you and the Captain to thank,” he replied, chuckling as he looked at the large man.

“You are very much welcome, my friend,” Reinhardt said jovially, slapping Hanzo on the back and nearly knocking him over. “Good on you for taking the leap!”

“T-Thank you,” Hanzo coughed out, moving into the airship before Reinhardt could hit him again. Sitting down in one of the passenger seats, Hanzo straightened his back against the backrest, holding up his left index finger in front of him. Looking outside, he saw Lena stand stiffly, saluting to Torbjorn. A few words were exchanged before the dwarf shrugged and then stormed away to enter the airship. Hanzo heard a few grumbles of ‘cadet’ and ‘unprepared’ before the short man sat down onto one of the chairs. He watched as Angela engaged in a short conversation with Lena before the two of them entered the airship. The doctor sat down on his right, shuffling in close and resting her head on his shoulder.

Feeling at peace with Angela beside him, Hanzo bowed his head and closed his eyes, easing into the gentle hum of the airship as it powered up and lifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddamn cockblocking commanders!
> 
> Hanzo's legendary skin from the anniversary event looks amazing, I love everything about it. I figured a blue version of it would be his OverWatch armor.


	19. Chapter 19

“Hanzo, what’s the situation outside the tunnel?”

Hanzo leaned forwards, peering over the edge of the roof. The streets had deployable shields littered along the path, along with bricks and remnants of crumbling buildings. Dried blood dotted the ground, further emphasizing what was at stake on their mission.

Hanzo loaded an arrow from his arm wheel and took aim, waiting for the patrol of Nulltroopers to round the corner out of sight. Firing the arrow into the wall just before the turn, it emitted sonic waves, revealing red shapes around the corner.

“Single patrol, six Nulltroopers,” Hanzo reported in. “They’re clear from the tunnel.”  

“Copy that. You’re free to move out, team,” Commander Morrison replied.

Hanzo jumped down, hanging onto the edge of the roof before climbing his way down to ground level. Reinhardt stomped out of the tunnel, followed by Angela and Lena. Torbjorn was the last to leave the tunnel. Hanzo couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth upon seeing the dwarf hobbling along to keep up.

“Null Sector has three anti-aircraft guns in King’s Row. They need to be disabled before we can drop the payload,” Commander Morrison continued. “You each have a portable drone, which can be used to hack the air defense terminals.”

“Take good care of them,” Torbjorn exclaimed from behind them.

“We’ll make sure they come back in working order!” Reinhardt bellowed from the front as they moved through the streets.

“This is Captain Amari. The first air defense node is right around the corner,” Ana noted. When Reinhardt reached the corner, he raised his forearm, deploying an energy barrier that absorbed several oncoming bullets. Before the other agents could reach him, Reinhardt lowered his shield and ignited the rocket on his back, zooming out of sight.

Moving along the streets, Hanzo saw Reinhardt smashing his hammer down on the last two Nulltroopers while surrounded by scattered remnants of other robots.

“Area clear!” Reinhardt reported as he stood at the opening and then pulled out his drone, throwing it to the console. The drone activated and then hovered near the defense node, scanning it and then hacking in to disable the AA cannon. “Beginning the hack!”

“Stay near the terminal while it’s in progress!” Torbjorn advised. Hanzo looked over his shoulder to keep an eye on Angela before she nodded reassuringly to him, prompting him to look forwards. Lena was with her; he trusted her to protect Angela.

“Null Sector approaching your position,” Ana warned.

“You heard her! Team, get ready!” Reinhardt remarked, raising his shield. Hanzo shuffled back, climbing onto the roof of an abandoned car and kneeling down. Readying an arrow in his bow, he took aim. When the first Nulltrooper appeared, Hanzo immediately fired, cracking its visor as the arrow punctured the head.

“They know we’re here now!” Lena called out from behind cover as she fired her pistols to whittle down two Nulltroopers coming in from the side entrance.

“Tell us something we don’t know, rookie!” Torbjorn bellowed, blasting his rivet gun to tear apart a trooper.

Hanzo jerked his head to the side to avoid two shots before shooting another arrow to take out the offending trooper. It seemed that Reinhardt and Torbjorn was handling the vehicle entrance, so Hanzo kept a closer eye on the other door. It was clear that Nulltroopers were adapting quickly, since more were flooding through the smaller opening. Hanzo slid down from the car roof and crouched behind it before quickly standing up to swiftly dispose of one Nulltrooper.

“Side entrance is getting flooded!” Lena called out, prompting Reinhardt to look over his shoulder and then slowly back up.

Moving back down behind the vehicle, Hanzo brought out an arrow from his arm wheel and then fired it into the thin hallway, cutting down three Nulltroopers as the projectile broke apart into smaller arrows that bounced along the walls. Angela was right beside Lena, who was managing to hold the enemies back and preventing them from advancing. Angela had pulled out her own pistol and was firing back. Hanzo was taking some risks by standing from cover for longer than what was safe, eliminating any Nulltroopers who dared to move past Tracer and Angela’s defense.

Then a large hammer swung in his field of view, sweeping along the group of Nulltroopers. With two more swings, the side entrance was cleared quickly. Hanzo looked over at the garage entrance to see Torbjorn holding his own against any oncoming enemies, using his rivet gun and a deployed turret. Hanzo flinched when a drone flew past his shoulder and then hovered near Reinhardt.

“We’re done here! Captain Amari, where’s the next defense node?” Reinhardt reported, stomping on the last Nulltrooper in the area.

“In the courtyard up ahead, I’m marking it on your HUD,” Ana replied. Hanzo glanced down at his left forearm, a new symbol appearing on his minimap. Glancing up, he vaulted over the car and followed close behind the others up the staircase. Turning around, Hanzo kept an eye on their rear as they proceeded along the pathway. “We’ve detected a new energy signature up ahead, looks like a new Omnic.”

“Hanzo, survey the area!” Reinhardt ordered. Hanzo looked back and nodded, moving into the building and then along the ruined hallway. After reaching a balcony, he spotted a large, towering Omnic with a massive shoulder cannon and energy barrier. Two Nulltroopers hobbled around the remnants of a fountain with an AA turret stationed on top.

“One Eradicator. Two troopers,” Hanzo reported, nocking an arrow into his bow. “I will handle the shield.”

“Copy that, we’ll move in once it’s down,”

Narrowing his eyes, Hanzo focused in on the shoulder joint of the Eradicator before shooting the arrow into his target. The large Omnic stumbled forwards, the shield flickering away. When it managed to right itself, it was slammed by Reinhardt against the wall. The building shook violently, causing Hanzo to stumble forwards. Approaching the edge of the platform, Hanzo jumped off, righting himself in the air before rolling forwards upon landing. He stopped right behind Torbjorn, who was gently laying his drone on the ground, which then flew over to the defense node beside the fountain.

“Hack underway, the gun should be coming down shortly,” Ana reported. “Careful, you’ve got Null Sector closing in on your position!”

“Torbjorn, get your turret up! Everyone else, good hunting!” Reinhardt roared before stationing himself at the chokepoint directly across from the console. Hanzo climbed up the fountain, perching himself on one of the cannon’s legs.

“In the skies!” Torbjorn bellowed.

Loading an arrow into his quiver, Hanzo turned his gaze upwards, spotting a purple aircraft soar by. It deployed several small, flaming meteors that came crashing down onto the ground, tearing up the pavement upon landing. When the smoke cleared up, Nulltroopers unfolded from the ground. Two Eradicators also joined the fray, soaking up bullets from Torbjorn’s turret.

“I’m going to go hit ‘em from the back!” Lena exclaimed before zooming off without waiting for an acknowledgement. Hanzo took cover behind the AA cannon’s limb. focused an arrow on one Eradicator. When the shield disappeared, the large Omnic fell to the ground with an arrow through its head. When the other Eradicator closed in, Reinhardt reached through its energy shield, grabbing the Omnic by the waist and throwing it down before stomping on its head.

While readying his next arrow, Hanzo quickly glanced around for Angela before looking back forwards upon seeing her crouching by Reinhardt’s side. He trusted the others to keep her safe, but he needed the reassurance.

“I got the other side!” Lena called out, blinking back to the fountain and then beyond to deal with the Nulltroopers flanking them. Angela raised her pistol to aid Lena, to which Hanzo decided to assist as well, targeting any Nulltroopers who approached their rear too closely. Thus far, they were managing to hold out.

“Hack complete, move to the last defense node!” Ana reported.

“Team, move into the cathedral!” Reinhardt ordered, pushing forwards through the ruined streets. Hanzo jumped down from his perch, backing up as he destroyed an Eradicator’s shield with a scatter arrow before it crumbled to the ground by a flurry of bullets from Lena’s pistols. “Everyone, stay close behind me!”

Hanzo looked over his shoulder to see a squad of half a dozen Nulltroopers and an Eradicator descend onto the streets. However, Reinhardt smashed the head of his hammer against the ground, the resulting shockwave knocking all the Omnics to the ground. When the robots were recovering to their feet, Lena tossed a pulsating disc into the center before the device exploded, the resulting explosion reducing the machines to scrap. Hanzo looked up along the front of the church to find the last AA cannon stationed in the large stained glass window. As Reinhardt entered the building, Hanzo climbed up the old structure, positioning himself beside the cannon to have a clear view of the streets.

The rooftops were untouched, but the foundations and walls of the buildings were torn apart. Several purple aircraft hovered along the roofs, gradually making their way towards their position. Clearly their team’s firefight was attracting Null Sector’s attention.

“We have some company incoming,” Hanzo reported over comms.

“Get the hack going!” Commander Morrison ordered. However, after a small pause, it seemed that the first obstacle to their mission had come.

“Um, is this red symbol supposed to be there?” Lena asked. Hanzo turned his head away to look down at the rest of his team at ground level.

“Try the next code!” Reinhardt replied.

“Already tried them all! Nothing!”

“Blasted Omnics! They must’ve changed the code!” Torbjorn cursed before hobbling over to the console. “I need some time! Give me a few minutes!”

“We don’t have a few minutes!” Hanzo called out, watching one Null Sector transport coming closer.

“I can’t work any faster with you shouting in my ear!” Torbjorn snapped back. Hanzo looked back at the aircraft, pulling back an arrow and firing at the cockpit window. The projectile bounced harmlessly off the hull. He watched as Null Sector squads were deployed from the underbelly, making their way into the cathedral.

“Null Sector troops incoming!” Reinhardt bellowed from down below. Hanzo shifted his focus from the transport to the robots being dropped in, leaning forwards on the ledge and using his higher ground to have a better read on the situation.

There didn’t seem to be any end to the troopers. Every trooper they destroyed, another was sent in to quickly replace it. Hanzo stepped back and assessed his team. Reinhardt’s shield was starting to crack along the edges, slowly widening as the barrier absorbed more bullets.

“Barrier is failing!” Reinhardt roared. Hanzo turned towards the transport, knowing that it would have to be destroyed to stop the oncoming horde. He tried firing another arrow at it, but that did about as much as the first arrow. It did serve to draw the ship’s attention as it turned towards him.

A flurry of bullets flew from the airship. Hanzo backed up one step, firing an arrow at his feet. A burst of black smoke enveloped him before he ran for the ledge. However, several bullets sank into his lower legs, stumbling him. Hanzo let out a strained scream and his foot slipped on the edge, sending him careening towards the ground.

A flash of yellow light brightened in front of him and Hanzo felt his fall abruptly slow down. He looked up to see Angela gently gliding down to the ground with her hands underneath his shoulders and her wings flared out. Her teeth were gritted and her arms shook slightly from carrying his weight. Reinhardt stepped forwards, protecting them with his flickering shield. 

“I should consider lighter metal…” Angela grunted, letting go when Hanzo’s feet reached the floor. However, pain stabbed through his legs and his knees buckled, sparks flying from the bullet holes in his legs. “Hanzo, hold still!”

Angela was holding her Caduceus staff towards his wounds. A stream trailed from the end of her staff and sank into his legs. Hanzo took a deep breath as the pain slowly ebbed away.

“I’ve almost got it!” Torbjorn reported before smacking the console with his claw hand. “There! The gun should be down now!”

“Getting out is another problem!” Reinhardt pointed out before his barrier shattered. He raised his forearm to shield his head, forced to tank the bullets himself with his armor. Lena and Angela were taking cover behind Reinhardt and firing shots back at random, unable to aim properly lest they get shot themselves.

Hanzo clenched his left fist, breathing heavily through his mask. Standing up on unsteady knees, Hanzo stumbled forwards past Reinhardt, drawing a single arrow into his bowstring.

“Hanzo! Stay back!” the large man exclaimed. However, Hanzo ignored him, forcing himself to concentrate. Something stirred beneath the skin of his left forearm. A faint red glow pulsed from the black tattooes before it faded away. Nonetheless, Hanzo pulled back the arrow, his thumb brushing along the tail feathers. He knew it was unlikely those creatures would return; Hanzo felt no anger, but desperation and fear for not only his life, but of others as well. He prayed silently that he would not lose himself if they should come in this time of need.

“ _Ryu ga waga teki wo kurau!”_ Hanzo roared, firing the arrow.

A chill rode up his spine as something surged forth from his tattoos, wrapping around his arm before following after the arrow. A blue serpentine body slithered to the Null Sector troops on the ground, ripping them apart as it passed through them. Another suddenly unfurled wings from its body before it soared out of sight through the open stained glass window. Wings? He never recalled his dragons ever having wings before.

A barrage of energy from an Eradicator blasted the ground in front of him, interrupting his thoughts. Hanzo flew back before he was suddenly stopped once more. This time, Reinhardt had halted Hanzo's momentum with a large, gloved hand before the latter was laid down onto the ground.

“Everybody down!” Reinhardt bellowed, raising a fully charged barrier and holding his other arm out to herd the rest of his team together.

Hanzo looked up to see the cannon explode as something crashed into it, breaking it apart and sending debris falling down towards them. He wrapped one arm around Angela’s shoulders and placed the other hand on top of Lena’s head, feeling a hard metal press against him as Torbjorn rested his claw on Hanzo’s back. Hanzo tucked his chin in and closed his eyes, hoping that Reinhardt’s shield would hold. The muffled impacts against the barrier repeated for quite some time before it finally stopped. Raising his head hesitantly, Hanzo ducked when Reinhardt shoved all of the rubble that piled up on his shield.

“Area clear!” Reinhardt reported, resting his hammer on his shoulder. Hanzo was still dazed from the earlier Eradicator blast and struggled to stand up. Angela rushed forwards, resting her hand on his chest to help him to his feet.

“Easy does it,” Angela said, nodding as he managed to stabilize himself. He eyed her furled wings, remembering back to the winged dragon he had summoned earlier. Realizing the implications behind this, his thoughts were interrupted when Lena zipped right up next to him, tapping her chin.

“So like… You can make dragons, yeah?” she piped up.

“Probably some fancy hard-light tech,” Torbjorn guessed, shuffling over to collect scrap from his destroyed turret.

“How do you do it?” Lena pressed, leaning her head forwards.

“The questions can wait, Lena,” Angela said, activating her staff on him for a brief moment to clear his head.

“Cut the chatter! Captain Amari, what are our next orders?” Reinhardt said over his shoulder as he moved towards the doorway. Hanzo rolled his shoulder, grimacing a little before following after their team leader.

“Dropship is enroute to the clock tower,” Captain Amari replied.

“Rendezvous at the courtyard!” Commander Morrison added. Hanzo followed their team leader out of the cathedral, sidestepping around the ruined Null Sector mechs.

“Hey, last one there’s buying dinner!” Lena called out, zooming forwards.

“Haha! You’re on!” Reinhardt roared jovially, boosting and speeding past Hanzo. He quickly shuffled out of the way, watching the two OverWatch agents race towards the hovercraft floating down from the distant dropship.

“Enthusiastic, aren’t they?” Angela commented, stepping up beside him.

“With all of this going on, how are they so…” Hanzo said, furrowing his brow as he walked down the street.

“They find joys whenever they can. In a world like this…” Angela replied, bowing her head.

“Joys are sometimes difficult to find,” Hanzo finished, cradling her chin between his left thumb and index finger. The two of them stopped as he turned her head towards him. He brushed some of her hair behind her ear, carressing her face. “Fortunately, one isn’t too far from me.”

“Oh… Well, the feeling’s mutual, Mr. Shimada,” Angela said, hunching her shoulders and smiling shyly. However, a loud clanging caused both to flinch and lean away from each other as Torbjorn shoved his way past them. At once, Hanzo remembered where they were and fell back to reality.

“Save that for later! Get going, you two!” the dwarf said over his shoulder, prompting the two of them to sheepishly and unnecessarily adjust their uniforms before following after him.

* * *

Genji danced back, spinning his katana in hand before throwing three shurikens. All three were easily deflected by the assassin. She didn’t seem to show any signs of tiring, while Genji felt a little short of breath. It was not easy to track and then block three swords from different angles at once. It was clear that conventional means was not faring well. Genji nodded slowly, learning well from his fight against Hanzo that the Clan had little to defend against the unconventional.

Genji crouched low, grasping the hilt with both hands and hovering it by the side of his head with the blade pointed towards his opponent. Genji then pushed off from his back leg, surging forward. The assassin, and her two clones, readied themselves, raising their blades. Genji suddenly collapsed his knees and slid forwards, swiping at their ankles. When his katana was stopped short mid-swing, Genji planted the palm of his hand onto the ground, stomping his heels onto the ground to flip out knives from the backs of his ankles.

Placing all of his weight on this single hand, Genji lifted his legs and stabbed at the two clones with his ankle blades, maneuvering his legs to continue sending blow after blow. He used his other hand, holding the katana, to clash with the assassin. When the assassin shoved back against one of his strikes, Genji used the momentum to plant his feet back onto the ground before quickly pushing off to backflip. Upon landing, he flipped forwards, tucking one knee in and stabbing downwards with the heel of his other leg. The assassin danced to the side, narrowly avoiding the knife. However, one of the clones did not fare as well, immediately flickering out of sight upon contact with the knife. A mask of a crying geisha fell onto the floor and then shattered when Genji’s blade stabbed into it.

Prying the knife from the splintered wooden floor, Genji shuffled forwards, kicking his right leg out at the assassin. He kept pressing the attack to keep her on the defense, turning and slashing every time the remaining clone tried to circle around behind him.

He can do this. If he continued on the offensive, he could best this assassin.

Suddenly, a blade bounced off of his shin, rattling his leg and throwing him off balance. Something swiped against the back of his knee, another across his arm. Genji gasped as the cold steel sliced past the fabric and into his skin. He dropped his katana instinctively in response to the sharp pain from his arm. The weapon was kicked away out of his reach.

The assassin and her clone did not hesitate to press their advantage. When Genji had collapsed onto one knee, he was kicked in the chest and fell onto his back. Genji tried to sit up quickly. He could not afford to be in such a vulnerable position.

However, Genji screamed out as the assassin and her clone stabbed their blades through his shoulders and into the wooden boards, pinning him against the floor. Breathing quickly, Genji fought to stay conscious, grabbing the blades and attempting to pull them out. His desperation to take the blades out was evident from the blood seeping between his fingers. Instead of releasing his grip, he tightened his hold on the blades. Then the assassin twisted her katana and Genji let out a choked sob, nearly blacking out.

Biting his lower lip to fight against the pain, he closed his eyes tightly, his head falling back against the ground. Genji opened his eyes to see the assassin standing before him, her arms crossed. She was shaking her head as if she was disappointed.

Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fists tightly, lifting his head. When he tried to lift his shoulders, pain surged forth within him at full force. However, the pain quickly died away and only the heat was left within him. Genji puffed up his chest and screamed hoarsely, sending out a shockwave that shattered the window and sent the assassin sliding back several metres across the room. The remaining clone disintegrated into the air and the mask shattered upon impact with the wall, leaving its creator alone. A blade faded away from his shoulder, leaving only one.

Genji slowly sat up, the remaining katana deeply embedded in his shoulder. Blood splattered onto the ground as Genji brought his hands up and pulled the blade out, flicking it to the sides to shake off the residue. A glowing green serpentine body coiled around his torso. The assassin was rubbing her temple before looking up and freezing upon seeing Genji slowly approaching her. Though he was bleeding rather profusely, this did little to curb his anger or slow his advance.

“ _Ryūjin no ken o kurae!”_ he roared, twin green dragons snaking around the sword. Genji lunged forwards, bringing the sword over his right shoulder to swing down. Before his blade made contact, the assassin dived to the side, causing the katana to score a deep crater that opened up to the floor below.

Whirling around, Genji readied himself for a strike, only to lower his guard. Wrapped around the assassin’s forearm was a metal wire trailing up to a contraption attached to a forearm. Someone rested their hand on the side of Genji’s neck, ushering him down. At first, Genji fought against this push before taking a look at whoever it was.

“Shimada, you need meds right now,” Seamus advised, prompting Genji to relax. The dragons faded away, causing him to gain a little more clarity, Genji was now aware of his injuries and needless to say, they weren’t cuts that could be ignored easily. “Not gonna lie, mate. This is going to hurt like fuck.”

Before Genji could properly brace himself, something stabbed into the middle of his back, sending jolts along his spine. The sword in hand clattered to the ground. The pain that followed was blinding, but compared to what he had just experienced a few minutes ago, Genji managed to stay conscious long enough for the pain to subside fairly quickly. His head pounding slowly, he looked over to see Seamus wrapping white cloth around Genji’s injuries.

“Bloody hell, mate. I’m starting to think you’re scarier than her,” Seamus remarked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Yola. She was busy tying up the Clan assassin, binding the wrists and ankles.

“Ha! Keep dreaming, Ainsley,” Yola chuckled, rolling the assassin onto her side. Genji winced as he was practically tackled to the ground by someone else, sending a wave of pain through his shoulders.

“O-Ow! J-Jesse!” Genji grunted. His partner pulled away from the tight hug, resting his hands on the sides of Genji’s face.

“Gen, y’all right? Ya hurt too bad?” Jesse asked quickly.

“J-Jesse, I’m fine…” Genji reassured, clutching his bandaged shoulder. “Could’ve done without the hug.”

“I was just worried,”

“Hey, lovebirds. Save it for later.” Yola called out before nudging her boot against the assassin’s shoulder. “Friend of yours, Shimada?”

“Yes. Sent from the Clan,” Genji replied, eager for a distraction right now. He was relieved to see Jesse again, but they were still in enemy territory.

“Hm…” Yola murmured thoughtfully, drumming her thumb against the side of her thigh. “You three wait outside. Give me five minutes.”

“Work yer magic, Doherty,” Jesse ordered, tipping his hat before leading Genji and Seamus out of the room. Remembering to grab his fallen weapons along the way, Genji rested up on the side of the hallway, leaning his head back on the wall and sliding down to the floor. Jesse took a seat right beside the ninja, pulling out a cigar and lighting it.

“I had things handled,” Genji muttered. Though he was grateful for their arrival, Genji worried for their safety, especially with the Clan still at large.

“We’re a team, mate. Can’t expect us to leave you around,” Seamus replied.

“Yer bleeding from five wounds all ‘roun yer body. I don’t think that’s handlin’ it,” Jesse pointed out, breathing out a wisp of smoke. However, he dropped his cigar when there was a sharp scream from inside the room. Genji and Seamus also flinched from the sudden noise. “Goddamnit…”

“Hell, human ain’t what she is,” Seamus remarked, wincing upon hearing the scream descend into desperate sobs. Despite what the assassin tried to do to him, Genji could not help but feel pity after hearing such pathetic cries.

“Is this even part of our mission?” Genji pointed out.

“Sure as hell ain’t. But ya gon’ stop ‘er?” Jesse replied, raising an eyebrow as he lit another cigar. Genji shifted uncomfortably. Despite his hatred towards the Clan, Genji wanted to enter that room and grant the assassin a merciful death. This torture was not honorable. However, this remorse was washed away when Genji remembered Hanzo, bloodied and maimed at his brother’s hand. That outcome was forced onto them by the Clan. What did they know about honor?

A gunshot rang from inside.

“Looks like the show’s over,” Seamus remarked. Yola walked out, wiping a bloodied knife with a cloth. Her uniform was splattered with red, the blood already drying and staining the clothes.

“She’s been doing some snooping around in this city. NS is holding at least a hundred hostages in the power plant. Nothing on the NS leaders,” Yola explained, sheathing the knife and moving onto cleaning up her hands.

“You know how I said he might be scarier than you, lass? I go back on that,” Seamus commented, gesturing to Genji. Yola chuckled, shaking her head as she threw the dirtied cloth aside.

“Anything on the Clan?” Genji demanded, stepping up to her. Yola shook her head.

“Couldn’t get anything on them. They hold their secrets well. Hell, I think all she knew were the orders given to her,” she replied. Genji’s shoulders sagged, crestfallen. He had hoped to gain some sort of edge against the Clan. This fight had proved that he just wasn’t ready yet to face them. He felt someone touch the middle of his shoulders.

“Least we know where the hostages are,” Jesse noted, stroking the curve of Genji’s back before bringing his hand away to the communicator. “Boss, Null Sector’s holding Mondatta, Mayor Nandah, and ‘bout a hundred prisoners in the power plant. It’s walled off, so if ya want in, yer goin’ to need to blow open the doors.”

“Copy that, McCree. Morrison sent a strike team to deal with the guns and hostages, move onto your objective,” Commander Reyes replied. Jesse exchanged surprised looks with the rest of his team. Genji could tell that they were all thinking the same thing. It was understandable for them to be here, but an OverWatch team? From what Commander Reyes told them, the Strike Commander was not known for going against orders. On that regard, Genji wondered if Hanzo was in the OverWatch team being sent here. He considered meeting up with them, but one look from Jesse told Genji that he was staying with them.

“Oi, we got company!” Seamus exclaimed, pointing towards the door. The BlackWatch team turned to see a bright orange light on the doorknob that slowly grew brighter. The brass knob melted into a puddle onto the floor before the door was kicked open.

Genji shuffled forwards, bringing up both of his blades to deflect any oncoming bullets. Backing up slowly, Genji heard gunshots ring out and the brief exchange of fire ended quickly. Sheathing his swords, Genji looked behind him to see Jesse with his revolver drawn and Seamus with a pistol. A loud scraping noise sounded as something was dragged across the floor by a cord. It was a small Omnic with a wide-bored head and doglike legs.

“Well, that’s new,” Jesse remarked, kneeling down and tipping up his hat to get a better look. Yola brought up a schematic of the Omnic.

“Splicers. They’re used to crack open doorways, control panels, you get the idea. Fairly easy to take down, you could probably disable it with a good kick,” Yola said before transferring this intel to their Commander. “We should move to the power plant.”

“What makes ya say that?” Jesse asked.

“Believe me. I know radical groups. You capture some political figures, you’d want to talk to them face-to-face, make your points clear,” Yola explained, looking up and then marking the power plant on their HUD.

“What about the hostages?” Seamus pointed out.

“That’ll be the OverWatch team’s job,” Jesse replied, Genji felt a little hopeful. If there was a chance that Hanzo was on that team… There was the possibility that they’ll run into them. “Well, ya heard ‘er. We’ve got our next location. Double time, everyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, guys! Still struggling through this bad writer's block! Hope you people enjoy the new chapter!


	20. Chapter 20

“Torbjorn! Status update!” 

“Systems are green, propulsion systems are a go!” 

Hanzo fell to the ground to avoid the hail of bullets that flew overhead before firing his arrow straight into the Bastion unit’s head. The turret collapsed into pieces, while three two-legged Splicers hobbled past the remains and powered up their heads. However, they were swatted aside by Reinhardt’s hammer. A loud foghorn blasted out from the hovering payload as it shook violently before settling down. 

“It’s fired up! Payload is ready to move!” Torbjorn said proudly, setting down his turret onto the hovercraft’s flat surface. 

As the machine drifted forwards, Hanzo hopped down from his ledge and then climbing onto the back to watch the rear. Reinhardt took point, slowly moving along with the payload. While Torbjorn constructed his turret at the front, Tracer was warping around them, searching all possible angles. Angela was kneeling down beside Hanzo, examining her datapad. 

“You’ve dealt with the brunt of Null Sector’s forces in the streets. Your trip to the power plant should be an easy one,” Commander Morrison reported. 

“Escort the payload to the power station! Once you’re there… Well, it’s up to Torbjorn,” Ana added. “So far, fine job, team! Handing you over to Commander Reyes!” Ana reported. 

Hanzo raised his head at the name, remembering that Genji was also in the city on a BlackWatch mission. Angela looked at him knowingly, resting her hand on his shoulder for a brief moment before going back to her notes. As he looked around, Hanzo noticed that the streets were littered with the remains of Null Sector drones. 

“Looks like BlackWatch was busy,” Reinhardt commented, eyeing a fallen Bastion head.

“Makes our job easier then,” Torbjorn added, looking annoyed as he started dismantling his turret.

“Reyes here. Latest BlackWatch intelligence indicates heavy Null Sector numbers inside the power station. Expect Nulltroopers, Eradicators, Bastions, and some OR-14s,” Commander Reyes explained. 

“You heard him, team! Let’s move!” Reinhardt bellowed. The payload underneath Hanzo bucked slightly and chugged out black smoke from its thrusters. 

“Um… Are you sure this’ll work?” Lena noted, stopping to examine the smog rising into the air. 

“I built it! Of course it’s going to work!” Torbjorn snapped from the front, smacking his turret a little harder than necessary. 

“Really inspires confidence, doesn’t he?” Angela remarked, raising an eyebrow at Hanzo. 

“This machine sounds and moves like a dying cow,” Hanzo commented, leaning away from one of the thrusters that gave a few sputtering chokes. 

“No one asked for your opinion!”

Hanzo and Angela exchanged a small laugh. Such surliness in a man of such a small stature was amusing to watch. The payload drifted along the streets without any resistance, turning around the corner and coming within view of the tunnel entrance their team had gone through. Hanzo heard a distinct scrape of metal against brick and furrowed his brow, searching around them. 

“Wait… Did you hear that?” he warned to his team, listening in to a low, barely audible hum. Angela set her datapad down and grabbed her staff, sitting up. Lena quickly moved around their close perimeter, shaking her head. 

“Don’t see anything, love,” Lena reported. 

“Hold up,” Reinhardt said, raising his hand. The payload slowed to a halt. After a tense moment, Reinhardt frowned and tapped the front of the payload with the head of his hammer, prompting it to resume its route. 

“Are you feeling alright, Hanzo?” Angela asked.

“I… I’m just feeling a little cautious right now,” Hanzo said. Angela nodded understandably before pocketing her datapad as the hovercraft approached the power plant. 

“Isn’t it weird that we ran into no Nulltroopers?” Lena pointed out as the payload stopped right in front of the closed gates. Torbjorn managed to pack up his turret and hopped off.

“BlackWatch has been known to be quite thorough,” Angela replied. When the payload beneath them began to rumble, Hanzo and Angela hurriedly got off and distanced themselves from the machine. 

“It’s firing up!” Torbjorn exclaimed. The flames from the thrusters flared up and the hovercraft shook more violently. 

“Get that door open now! BlackWatch assets read that energy levels are peaking!” Commander Reyes ordered. 

“Understood!” Reinhardt acknowledged, backing up. 

“Shouldn’t we be standing further away?” Lena said uncertainly, watching the payload glow a bright orange glow. 

“Maybe behind my shield,” Reinhardt suggested. Torbjorn was not pleased in the slightest. 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Torbjorn grumbled, hobbling over to take cover behind Reinhardt’s shield nonetheless. 

Hanzo knelt down by Reinhardt’s left leg alongside Angela, watching as Torbjorn’s machine spasm uncontrollably. He instinctively raised his arm when the payload exploded, blasting through the heavy metal doors. Metal shards shredded into Null Sector robots behind the newly opened hole. 

A Bastion turret swiveled its barrel and began unloading its clip into Reinhardt’s shield. Hanzo took aim and shattered the robot’s visor with an arrow, putting it out of commission. Three more Nulltroopers arrived, alongside what looked to be a cybernetic centaur. The new Omnic raised its gun and fired a barrage at them. 

“We’re detecting a massive power surge from inside the plant, best guess is they’re going to blow the entire place to hell with the hostages,” Commander Reyes reported. 

“What are your orders, sir??” Reinhardt roared, pushing forwards into the facility with the rest of the team close behind. 

“Focus on those OR-14s! They’re your first priority! BlackWatch will handle the reactor!” 

“Go! Go! Take out any Null Sector troops inside!” Reinhardt ordered. “Tracer, flank that OR-14!” 

“I’m on it!” Lena acknowledged, zipping around and firing upon the robot’s back legs. The three Nulltroopers were swept aside by a swing of Reinhardt’s hammer. When the OR-14 turned around to face Lena, the back half of its body was crushed underneath Reinhardt’s hammer before Torbjorn tore its head apart with a blast from his rivet gun. Hanzo ran across the pathway, climbing up onto a ledge and surveying the area. 

Two Eradicators were alongside another OR-14 unit, while another Bastion turret was deployed behind them. Hanzo eliminated the turret before he launched two arrows into the shoulder sockets of the Eradicators to knock down their barriers. He then directed his aim at the OR-14 unit, who didn’t seem to have noticed him. Pressing his advantage, Hanzo fired an arrow towards its head. However, the projectile bounced off harmlessly, prompting the OR-14 to turn and open fire upon his position. Hanzo stepped back from the ledge, falling to the ground to avoid the oncoming bullets. 

However, the OR-14 was focused on him, allowing Reinhardt to smash it underneath his hammer. The two Eradicators were whittled down by Lena’s pistols, clearing the way to the reactor. What was waiting for them was not the BlackWatch team, but another OR-14 and a multitude of Nulltroopers and Eradicators. 

“Sir, where is the BlackWatch strike team?” Reinhardt demanded, standing his ground as his shield soaked up the oncoming bullets. 

“They’ve dealing with the power surge problem, just focus on your targets!” Commander Reyes replied.

Hanzo readied another arrow into his bow, knowing that this particular arrow will dispose of the OR-14. While Lena, Torbjorn, and Angela returned fire with their weapons at the Null Sector group, Hanzo pulled back the arrow, ready to release it into the OR-14. However, a three-note whine sounded across the facility, consecutively growing in pitch. Before Hanzo could search for the source of that sound, Hanzo was suddenly blasted off the ledge by an explosion that hit the wall behind him. 

Angela immediately threw aside her pistol and flew out to catch Hanzo yet again. Looking up, he caught her smiling down at him as she drifted backwards towards Reinhardt’s shield. Hanzo caught sight of the OR-14 aiming its gun at them before it stumbled as Lena unloaded her pistols into its head. Hanzo relaxed in Angela’s hold when the tips of her wings passed through the barrier. 

Suddenly, her hands were ripped away from his shoulders as Hanzo suddenly shot forwards and rolled a few metres away from Reinhardt. Pushing himself up from the ground, he raised his head as he got to his knees. 

“Agent down! I repeat, agent down!” Reinhardt roared amidst pained screaming.

“Dr. Ziegler! Stay still!” Lena pleaded. Hanzo’s eyes widened, looking over his shoulder to see Lena crouched beside a crumpled body on the ground. Hanzo crawled his way over to them, breathing quickly.

“No no no no…” Hanzo repeated, fighting to keep his voice steady as he grabbed Angela’s hand. The feathers of her wings were snapped and twisted at awkward angles, twitching feebly. A small drone hovered over Angela’s chest, scanning her body. The drone diagnosed several fractured ribs and multiple bruises along her left lung. “W-We have to move her!” 

“W-Wait!” Lena warned, raising her hand. Hanzo attempted to lift Angela up, but she clawed at his forearm, her face contorted in pain and letting out a few strained coughs.. 

Setting her back down onto the ground, Hanzo stared at her indecisively, unsure of what to do other than helplessly watch as the drone administered a yellow stream of energy into her chest. Holding onto her limp hand, he prayed to himself that the little machine could save her from the brink of death. His worst fears were now realizing themselves and this was not helping his state of mind, finding himself hyperventilating in his panic.  

“Watch out!” Reinhardt warned, prompting Hanzo to raise his head and then lean over Angela’s quivering form to shield it as a massive metal ball smashed against the barrier before bouncing off. Hanzo looked back to see a metal chain reel through looped fingers before the fingers tightened to let the metal ball hang from the wrist. 

Hanzo’s eyes traced along the bared arm, then the armored shoulder, and then up to the face, which was shielded by a long-nosed Tengu mask that smiled tauntingly. 

The newcomer had a scaled breastplate with serrated shoulder plating. A black chain coiled around a heavily muscled arm, the massive spiked ball dangling from his hand. A black robe was worn underneath the armor, alongside matching pants that were tucked into heavy metal boots. On the chestplate was the symbol that had once been Hanzo’s pride. However, seeing it now, it only brought anger and that anger was now boiling inside him, threatening to unleash a side of him he thought he had buried days ago. 

Laying Angela’s hand onto the ground, Hanzo slowly stood up, the muscles on his left arm rippling as something stirred underneath the skin. Nothing else was on his mind, not even Angela’s well-being. So great was his rage that he could think of little else than to tear this assassin apart slowly and methodically. Drawing an arrow from his quiver, he struggled to aim at the head, his drawing arm shaking too much from his seething hatred. A glowing red serpentine body slithered from his shoulder and coiled around his arm.

“ _ Ryu ga waga-”  _  Hanzo chanted before he was cut short as a massive armored hand pushed his bow down, the snaking spirit fading away. Reinhardt had lowered his shield and hoisted his hammer onto his shoulder, advancing towards the Shimada assassin. “What are you doing?” 

“Hanzo, Tracer. Get Angela out of here. Evac is already on its way,” Reinhardt ordered. His lip was curled in utter contempt as he faced the assassin stoically and unafraid. 

“I’m not leaving you!” Lena said stubbornly.

“No, this is my fight! I must-” Hanzo shot back at the large man. 

“Did you hear me?? Angela needs your help right now!” Reinhardt roared back, his ferocity silencing Hanzo. He looked back down at her, who had fallen unconscious and was breathing hoarsely. Hanzo lifted her up in his arms again, ignoring her whimpers. Reinhardt was right, Angela needed immediate medical attention. Hanzo had to put aside his hatred for the Shimada Clan for her sake. However, he could not abandon his team to the Shimada Clan. Hanzo didn’t want others to be caught in his own personal matters and sacrifice themselves for his sake. It was supposed to be his burden to bear.

“The drone should have fixed her up enough to be moved,” Torbjorn noted, taking out a smoking flask from his hip while holding his welding hammer. Through the translucent container, a glowing orange liquid swirled around inside. “Leave this to us, rookies. Now move it!”

Hanzo eyed the Shimada assassin, who was now swinging around the massive metal ball over his head. Reinhardt held his hammer in both hands while Torbjorn poured the contents of his flask into his mouth, causing flames to sprout from his backpack. 

“Come on, Hanzo! We have to move!” Lena urged, tugging on his shoulder. 

After great deliberation, Hanzo turned around to leave, gritting his teeth. He swallowed down his shame, but could not stop himself from looking back. The assassin launched his metal ball toward them before it was batted back by Reinhardt. Looking forwards, Hanzo approached the hole they had blasted open earlier, a flat hovercraft slowly descending. 

“There’s the stretcher! Just a little longe-!”

The machine suddenly bucked to the left before collapsing onto the ground. Something landed on the sparking transport, relinquishing a curved blade. Hanzo’s eyes widened upon seeing the twin dragon symbol spinning on a medallion strapped to the newcomer’s chest.

The second Shimada assassin was more lightly armored than the other. He wore a black tunic with form-fitting black pants, leading into stockings that were reinforced with flexible metal. Much like his partner, this assassin’s face was also covered by a mask, but it was that of a frowning kitsune. Instead of a ball and chain, the assassin wielded a kama with a chain leading away from the bottom of its handle. 

Despite his initial anger at this new arrival. Hanzo remembered back to what he had almost done only a few minutes earlier. Thus, he was hesitant to step forward and fight. He could not trust himself to hold back on these demons dwelling inside of him. 

However, looking down at Angela, Hanzo knew that he could not stand back any longer. The Shimada Clan had made him complicit for far too long. Laying Angela down onto the ground slowly, he stepped around and faced the assassin. Tightening his grip on his bow, Hanzo glared at his opponent. 

“Lena, get Angela out of here. This one is mine,” 

“What?? Are you daft? You can’t fight him alone!” 

“Lena, do as I say!” Hanzo snapped. There was a flash of blue light at the corner of his eye that trailed past the assassin and then out into the streets before turning around the corner. Hanzo snapped his head back over his shoulder, his concern for Angela overshadowing his mind. He had not imagined it, Lena had run off with Angela somewhere to a safe place. He quickly turned back towards his attacker. However, it was this fraction of a second where he was turned away that the assassin made his move.

Hanzo raised his bow in time, deflecting the kama upwards. However, the assassin hooked the curved blade around the grip. Holding onto the bow’s limbs tightly, Hanzo was tugged forwards as the assassin pulled the chain in. Leaning on his back leg and digging in his heels, Hanzo stopped the chain short before tugging his bow back abruptly. The assassin used this momentum to vault forwards, throwing three shurikens as he flew towards Hanzo. Tracking their movements, Hanzo raised his bow and deflected the shurikens to the side before he was tackled to the ground. His weapon was batted to the side as the assassin straddled over Hanzo. 

When the Shimada warrior stabbed down, Hanzo crossed his forearms, bringing them up to clash against the assassin’s wrist to hold back the blade. The sharp point jittered as Hanzo struggled to keep the weapon away. 

As it slowly approached his face, Hanzo relaxed his arms and jerked his head to the side, the kama falling down to scrape against the ground. Wincing as the blade sliced against his cheek, Hanzo shoved his metal hand against the assassin’s chest, throwing him off. The assassin flipped back, landing softly onto his feet before pulling on the chain. Hanzo stood up, raising his arms as the kama blade flew away. He had to deal with this threat swiftly, he could not afford a prolonged battle here, especially if there was the possibility of other Shimada assassins here in the city. With that possibility in mind, Hanzo’s meditative calmness was soon replaced with rage. They could not spare him even this small pleasantry in his life? They really won’t provide any rest for him? 

Glancing to the side, Hanzo saw his fallen bow and lunged for it. As he expected, he saw the kama soaring towards him. Hanzo gritted his teeth and braced himself as he raised his right arm. The blade punctured the metal, cutting into the circuitry and locking up the arrow wheel inside. Too immersed in his own hatred, Hanzo barely felt the pain as he shifted his metal arm, grabbing the chain and pulling it in. The metal links coiled around his arm as the assassin was reeled in.

‘ _ Ryu ga waga teki wo kurau!”  _

Raising his left hand, a red glow enveloped the arm as Hanzo threw his fist forwards, punching straight through the assassin. His gauntleted hand caked in red, Hanzo kicked the body away, his hand still shaking from anger. Prying the kama blade from his arm, Hanzo grabbed the collar of the dead assassin, bringing both of their faces close to each other. The head lolled forward and back, the mask slightly askew. 

“Let your spirit tell the Clan that I am coming for them. And that I will not spare them the merciful death that I gave you,” Hanzo growled before throwing the body down and storming past it while grabbing his fallen bow along the way. 

He barely made two steps past the opening into the factory when he heard someone land behind him. Before he could react, something struck against the back of his neck, his muscles going rigid at the impact. Hanzo could not do anything except collapse, his bow clattering against the ground. His vision already started to blacken around the edges before something stomped the side of his head, knocking him out instantly.

* * *

 

“Any day now, Doherty,” Jesse called out over his shoulder as he headshotted a Nulltrooper. 

“This takes time,” Yola snapped back over her shoulder as she rummaged through all the wires in the panel. 

“We don’t got much of that, lass!” Seamus replied, firing a rocket into a crowd of Nulltroopers. As an Eradicator stomped through the smoke cloud from the explosion, it suddenly was horizontally bisected from the hips as Genji sliced through it. Raising his smaller blade, Genji deflected some bullets before disposing of the shooters with two shurikens. 

“Got it!” 

The heavy metal door opened up behind them, allowing them to move on through. Genji was the last through the door, covering his team’s retreat with both of his blades. When the metal shutters closed, Genji sheathed both of his swords before regrouping with the others. Jesse was crouched on one knee, chewing on an unlit cigar and analyzing a holographic map projected by Yola’s gauntlet. 

“All right. The generator room’s ‘ere and the hostages are probably held right ‘ere,” Jesse explained, pointing to and highlighting two specific rooms. They were nowhere near each other. 

“No, that’s not likely. If anything, the leaders are going to be right here,” Yola said, shaking her head as she pointed to another room. It was even farther than the first. “Board room. More symbolic to execute Mondatta there.”

“You think we can get the OverWatch team to deal with the generator room?” Seamus suggested. 

“Good plan, I’ll ring this through to the boss,” Jesse replied, opening up the link back to Commander Reyes. “‘Ey, boss! We got a nuclear meltdown and N.S leaders in two separate rooms. Any chance you could get the OverWatch team to handle the former?” 

“Negative, Agent McCree. The OverWatch strike team has problems of their own,” their Commander reported. Genji perked his head up. He was informed earlier that Hanzo was in that team. Was the problem perhaps…? No, it couldn’t be… Could it? Genji prayed silently to himself that it wasn’t as he feared. They already had enough problems of their own here. Jesse closed the channel and turned back to his team.

“OverWatch team hit some snags and they’re dealing with it,” Jesse explained before turning back to the holographic map. “We’ll do this the ol’ fashioned way. Two teams of two, Shimada and I’ll deal with the leaders. Yola and Seamus, head to the security room and shut down those cameras. Then deal with the reactor problem.”

Genji nodded as well, though he was feeling less certain in the success of their mission. However, he was reassured that he was now sticking close to Jesse, given the potential dangers of this mission. Genji hoped that Hanzo was close to his girlfriend to protect her. Genji couldn’t help but crack a small smile at this. He tried to hook Hanzo up with so many girls back at home to help him ease up a little, but his older brother had refused all of them. The Clan had too great of a hold on Hanzo then. Genji was glad that Hanzo was finally starting to live his own life now. However, it was especially because Hanzo was living freely that made Genji worried for his safety. 

“We got no time to waste. There’s no room for mistakes here, so let’s move!” Jesse called out, twirling his index finger in a circle. Seamus and Yola moved down the hall and then around the corner out of sight. Genji was thinking on the threat of the Shimada Clan still looming over the two heirs. He had to deal with them soon. Every passing day, the Clan was planning their next move, so it would be foolish to ignore them. Clenching his fists, Genji silently fumed, wondering what their commander was doing. They couldn’t delay their operations against the Clan any longer. It was only a matter of time before they struck against the two brothers. 

“Hey, Gen?” 

Genji was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Jesse’s voice and felt his shoulders relax when a hand rested on his upper back, stroking it gently. 

“We’ll deal with your problems later. Right now, focus on this problem,” Jesse advised, brushing the side of his thumb against Genji’s neck. Taking a slow and quivering breath, Genji nodded. 

“Thank you. I will, Jesse,” Genji replied with a small smile. Jesse grinned as he tipped his hat to the ninja. 

“Just lookin’ out for ya. After all, I am yer boyfriend,” Jesse noted with a wink before he moved along the hall. Genji rolled his eyes, but was still amused nonetheless. 

“You must feel like the luckiest man in the world,” Genji remarked, utilizing their small talk to take his mind off of the Clan for now. 

“That might be a slight understatement,” Jesse chuckled as he kept his hand on his holstered revolver. “But we’re gonna need to focus ‘ere, we’re nearing the boardroom. Ainsley, Doherty?” 

“Give us a moment, mate,” Seamus replied amidst gunshots over Jesse’s earpiece. “We’ve run into some trouble here!” 

“Make it quick, there’s not a lot of time left,” Jesse warned before suddenly backing up shortly after rounding the corner. “Hold up!” 

“Guards?” 

“See for yourself,” Jesse replied, hugging against the wall while Genji crept up and peered around the corner. Two OR-14s were standing sentry in front of the boardroom door. 

“We’ll have to work fast to take out those guards and rescue the hostages inside,” Genji noted, sliding his sword out from its sheath just a bit. 

“Agreed,” Jesse replied, taking out two spherical objects from his pouch.  Genji recognized the grenades in Jesse’s hand and knew that he would have to work quickly.

“Ainsley, Doherty!” Jesse whispered. 

“Doherty’s working on it!” 

“Count it down!” Jesse ordered. 

“Going down in 5 seconds!” Yola reported. 

“We’re moving in, Gen!” Jesse muttered, gently rolling one of his grenades across the floor and towards the two guards. The two OR-14s pointed their weapons to the approaching object. Genji crouched low, getting ready. “3… 2… 1…”

Pushing off his back foot, Genji dashed forwards, looking down when the grenade exploded into a bright flash. The two OR-14s stumbled to the sides, stunned from the light. Genji leapt up into the air between both robots. However, before he could slide out his swords, he was punched down by one of the guards, slamming him against the ground. Genji looked up, pushing from his hands and flipping back when the OR-14 attempted to stomp on him. Throwing two shurikens, they lodged into the robot’s head, but they might as well have been pin needles. When the Omnic raised the barrel of its minigun, Genji raised his blades, preparing to deflect. When the robot opened fire, Genji worked on redirecting the bullets back, but they merely bounced off the Omnic’s armor harmlessly. He was so busy focusing on one OR-14 that he had completely forgotten the other, which raised a orange blade from its forearm and slashed down.

Gritting his teeth, Genji braced himself as he maneuvered one of his blades to parry the blade to the side. When his katana made contact with the glowing sword, Genji instinctively dropped his weapon when the hilt became too hot to hold. Clenching the fingers of his burnt hand, Genji felt bullets rip into his right arm and thigh, forcing him to the ground. 

“Gen!” Jesse exclaimed. Three successive shots rang out and the bladed OR-14 stumbled back, the left side of its head sparking. Someone grabbed onto the back of Genji’s collar, pulling him along the floor. Two grenades rolled past him. His bleeding leg stung from dragging against the ground and Genji tried to open his mouth to ask Jesse to stop moving him. However, Genji did not have the energy to let those words out. Instead, he closed his eyes to shield them from the resulting flashbangs. 

“Come on… Come on, just hang in there,” Jesse urged. When the two of them were safe around the corner, Genji tried to sit up, but was pushed down against the ground. “Gen, stay down!” 

“What’s-” Genji tried to say before a hand rested on his chest, keeping him down. He turned his head to see Jesse kneeling down with his revolver raised while adjusting a cigar in his mouth. 

“Stay down, Gen. It’s my time to shine now,” Jesse replied, clicking open his lighter and holding the open flame on the tip of the cigar. He took a puff before dropping the cigar and grinding the heel of his boot to put out the flame.

Genji watched as the first OR-14 rounded the corner. The robot stumbled slightly, still disoriented from Jesse’s previous headshots. While it was off balance, Genji stabbed his short blade into the ground, attempting to pull himself up while keeping his weight off his injured leg. 

“Stay down!” Jesse ordered as he continued firing at the OR-14, rapidly reloading and keeping up the relentless assault. 

The robot was slowly being driven back, but it looked nowhere near disabled yet. It raised its minigun to shield its head before training its head on Genji. It aimed its minigun at him, to which Genji pulled out his single Wakizashi blade, hoping to deflect enough bullets to stay alive. 

The OR-14’s upper torso was jerked backwards and fired uselessly at the ceiling as Jesse hopped onto its back, grabbing the double-barrels on the sides of its head and pulling it back. The robot started bucking its front and back legs, attempting to shake Jesse off. Jesse shifted his weight accordingly as if he were in a rodeo before jamming the barrel of his gun against the weakened plating on the machine’s head. Firing three bullets in quick succession, the OR-14 collapsed onto the ground, its head sparking and its limbs twitching. Jesse landed onto the ground, swaying a bit from the ordeal before reloading his revolver. 

“That’s how it's done,” Jesse said a little smugly before it quickly shifted to concern as he knelt down and looked over Genji’s injuries. “Shit… We’re going to have to get ya to Ainsley.” 

“There’s… still another one…” Genji managed to say. Jesse looked over his shoulder before nodding in acknowledgement.

“Doherty’s working on the reactor, what’s your status?” Seamus reported. 

“We’re working on it!” Jesse replied. 

“Hurry it up, those hostages don’t got a lot of time!” 

Jesse bit his lip, clearly conflicted before turning back to his teammate. 

“Gen, I’m going to need ya to get the hostages. Room’s too small for any Eradicators or OR-14s. You think you can handle anyone in there?” Jesse proposed. 

“What?” 

“I’ll distract the last guard, but you’ll have to get in there quick,” 

“No… No! I’m not-” 

“Gen, listen to me! Anyone in that room now knows we’re here!” Jesse said tersely, holding a flashbang grenade against Genji’s chest before throwing another two at the wall and bouncing them around the corner. “Move  _ now! _ ”

Gritting his teeth, Genji dashed around the corner after the flashbangs went off, sidestepping around the stunned OR-14 to leave it to Jesse. Genji had to deal with this hostage situation quickly, so that he could return to support Jesse. 

Rolling the flashbang grenade given to him underneath the door, Genji quickly kicked open the door after the grenade activated, unfurling three shurikens for each hand and quickly scanning the room. Target the ones standing, avoid the ones kneeling… After this swift analysis, Genji threw his six shurikens, each making their mark. The last hostile, a well-dressed humanoid Omnic, pulled an Omnic monk to his feet, aiming a pistol at the hostage’s head. 

“Make one more move and I’ll-” the Omnic threatened before his head snapped back in a flurry of sparks. Genji surged forwards to hold the monk steady. When the Omnic looked up to observe his savior, he did a double-take. 

“That all of ‘em?” Jesse called out from behind Genji. Genji was relieved that Jesse made it out okay against the other OR-14. 

“I think so…” Genji murmured, looking around the room and then nodding upon seeing no other enemies in the room. “We’re clear.” 

“Gotcha,” Jesse said, walking into the room. He kept his hat tilted down to shadow the top half of his face as he examined the enemies Genji had disposed of. 

The hostages were freeing each other from their bonds. Jesse humbly brushed off any words of thanks from any who approached him. After checking the last body, Jesse stood up and nodded. 

“Mission accomplished, let’s get out of ‘ere’,” Jesse finally said, walking to the door. Upon seeing Genji hesitate, Jesse came back, leaning his head in close to Genji’s ear. 

“Listen, we have to move before they start askin’ questions,” Jesse whispered. 

Knowing that they were here against government orders, Genji followed after his teammate. Before he stepped out of the room, Genji felt a hand on his shoulder. When he attempted to shrug it off, it held fast. Making sure his mask was still on, he turned towards the source of the hand. He recognized him to be Tekhartha Mondatta, leader of the Shambali. 

“You have our utmost gratitude, friend,” the monk said, bowing his head to him. Genji said nothing before nodding curtly to him. When he felt the hand on his shoulder relax, Genji wasted no time to leave the room. He faltered momentarily in his pace upon seeing the second OR-14 in a crumpled heap by the door.

“How’d you manage that?” Genji asked, looking back at the destroyed machine. 

“Same as the first. Rode it like a rodeo horse,” Jesse said proudly, tipping his hat. 

“You really take to this ‘cowboy’ persona,” Genji replied with a smirk. 

“Ya say that as though it’s a bad thing,” 

“Heh, it’s certainly not as charming as you think,” 

“Now that’s just hurtful, Gen,” 

“Not sorry, McCree,” 

“Hey, Brokeback boys. Reactor’s down, we’re waiting for you two at the rendezvous point,” Yola chimed in. 

“We’re on our way,” Jesse replied before patching through to their Commander. “‘Ey, boss! Mission accomplished! Leaders down, reactor’s deactivated, and hostages are safe!” 

“I’m sending a ship over to pick you guys up,” Commander Reyes replied. “Damn good work, team.”

“A compliment to us, huh?” Jesse commented with a cheeky smirk at Genji.

“You all deserve it, drinks are on me tonight,” Commander Reyes grunted, clearly having overheard. 

“Ya won’t hear any complaints from me,” Jesse said, nodding before glancing over at Genji and winking as he patted Genji’s crotch. “Don’t think I forgot about about yer promise.” 

“I wouldn’t expect you to, Jesse,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeey, I'm back after a very long hiatus. Decided to celebrate my return to this fic with some drama.


	21. Chapter 21

Gabriel stormed down the hallway, a vein throbbing in his temple. He first approached the aircraft that carried his own team, raising his hand to rest on McCree’s shoulder. However, his agent walked swiftly past him, following a stretcher that carried Agent Shimada whose leg was heavily bandaged. Gabriel didn’t press any further, but he did make note that this was the second time Shimada suffered leg injuries. It didn’t matter, Dr. O’Deorain would quickly patch him up. What interested Gabriel more was the precious cargo that Rein and Torb had managed to secure during their mission.

Jack told him that he had lost contact with Angela, Hanzo, and Lena shortly after the Rein and Torb had reported a Shimada Clan assassin. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened with the three OverWatch agents. It seemed that the Clan didn’t give up at the Temple of Anubis relief camps. Gabriel gritted his teeth in a snarl as he saw Reinhardt leading the blindfolded and handcuffed prisoner down the aircraft’s ramp. While he didn’t care much for Hanzo and Lena, Angela was a good friend, being one of the first members of OverWatch that joined shortly after the Omnic Crisis. After coming within arm’s reach, Gabriel grabbed the collar of the prisoner, pulling him out of Reinhardt’s grip.

“Commander, wait!” Reinhardt warned.

Gabriel ignored him as he shoved three of his fingers into the prisoner’s mouth and fished around. Dissatisfied with finding nothing, he patted around the shoulders and then ripped off a small pouch, throwing it onto the ground and stomping on it with his boot. Upon hearing a distinct crack, Gabriel’s lower lip curled as he slammed the prisoner against the parked aircraft. Despite being denied his suicide pill, the assassin’s calm demeanour remained the same throughout, further infuriating the BlackWatch commander. Raising his fist to throw a punch, a hand grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“Reinhardt, don’t try to stop me,”

“Gabe, not here. Take it in private,”

Gabriel relaxed his arm upon hearing Jack’s voice. Looking back at the Strike Commander, Gabriel saw that Jack also had the burning anger in his eyes, but obviously had better control over it. Slowing his breathing down, Gabriel looked over at Reinhardt and Torbjorn, who nodded back understandably. Now under his custody, the prisoner was dragged out of the hangar and down the hallway. Gabriel kept a tight grip on the back of the assassin’s collar, pulling him into the interrogation room. Pushing him down onto the chair, Gabriel opened the only source of light in the room, that being a lamp hanging from the center of the ceiling.

Slamming the palms of his hands on the table, Gabriel leaned over, scowling at the bound prisoner.

“You know why you’re here,” he began. The assassin merely shrugged. “I know that you’ve taken some of our agents to your Clan in Japan. What I need and what you’re going to tell me is exactly where.”

“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you,”

“You know who I am?”

“Yes,”

“Then you know that red tape means nothing to me,”

The assassin said nothing, meeting Gabriel’s glare stoically. Gabriel’s fingers curled on the table, ready to interrogate the hell out of this bastard. However he was stopped by a buzz that indicated someone outside the room wanted to talk to him.

“I’m busy,” Gabriel called out.

“Gabe, we need to talk,”

“Then come in and talk,”

The door swung open, letting in a flood of light before closing shut. Jack stood there in the corner, waiting. Sighing, Gabriel walked over and kept a watchful eye on the prisoner, making sure they were out of earshot of the prisoner.

“Jack, I’m busy,”

“I know. If we want to get my agents back, we have to work together on this,”

“What do you suggest then, boy scout? Ask him nicely?”

There was a pause. Gabriel’s previous scorn for Jack’s lack of defiant courage had gone away as quickly as it returned. There was something different about Jack today.

“No. I’m here to tell you, you have full jurisdiction to do whatever the hell you want to our prisoner here to extract information,”

Gabriel stared at his longtime war buddy, surprised by this. Seeing Jack go against government orders was one thing, but this? This was something else entirely.

“Jack, you know that-”

“I know. And you’ve shown me that we aren’t an organization that just rolls onto its back whenever the world government wants us to. Screw the government, screw the damn UN. What you… What we did before all of this got us results and that’s how I’ll be working from now on,”

Taking in these words, Gabriel stared at Jack, not knowing what to say. However, Jack helped him in that regard.

“You have your orders, Commander Reyes. Every second wasted is a second less for my agents,” Strike Commander Morrison said curtly before giving Gabriel a wink and then leaving the room. Gabriel couldn’t help but smile a little, relieved at seeing the new… No, the old Morrison. The smile went away quickly as he turned around to tend to the prisoner.

“Now, where were we?”

“You are wasting your time,”

“Oh, is that so? What makes you say that?”

“You just talked with your higher up. Your organization is already under a lot of scrutiny and what you did in King’s Row was against government orders. So, your precious Strike Commander has prevented you from doing anything more. You may not listen to the government, but you will listen to him.”

Gabriel listened intently and nodded before shaking his head with a sinister smile. The prisoner’s smug demeanour slowly fell away to uncertainty.

“See, that’s the thing,” Gabriel replied before he pulled the prisoner over the table and threw him against the two-way mirror, cracking it upon impact. “I don’t give a shit.”

Grabbing the unfortunate Shimada Clan assassin, Gabriel smashed the man’s head against the mirror twice, bloodying it.

“You know what I want. So tell it and I’ll stop this,” Gabriel growled, tightening his grip on the prisoner’s head. The prisoner tightened his lips, remaining calm. However, his eyes betrayed his true emotions. Gabriel saw to his satisfaction that the man was getting scared. “Jack, I might be a while.”

“Copy that, Commander Reyes. I’ll lock the door,”

* * *

Genji was in the BlackWatch infirmary, watching the yellow mist swirl around his bandaged leg. The pain was quickly settled down, which was good. Genji needed to be out of here as soon as possible to go see his brother. When he moved to stand up from the bed, someone pushed him back down.

“Jesse, come on,” Genji groaned, grimacing.

“Gen, ya need to rest, alright?”

“I’m fine. I just need to know how my brother is doing,”

“That can wait,”

“You best listen to him, Agent Shimada, especially considering your condition,” a third voice piped up. Genji looked over to see Dr. O’Deorain entering the room, examining Genji’s medical records on her datapad.

BlackWatch’s medical practitioner was drastically different from Dr. Ziegler, whom Genji knew for barely an hour. While Genji could see that Dr. Ziegler genuinely cared for her patients and looked after their well-being, Dr. O’Deorain was much more ambiguous with her personal motivations. For the few times that Genji had met her, he always thought she regarded him as a lab experiment rather than a patient, spending much of her time examining how she could alter him rather than how she could treat his wounds. He had requested for a different doctor, but the others were busy with their own duties, leaving him stuck with Dr. O’Deorain.

“Meaning…?” Genji asked slowly. He could tell that Jesse shared his own doubts about this doctor, evident in Jesse’s tense grip on Genji’s shoulder.

“You’ve suffered wounds to your legs quite a lot these past few missions and yet you’ve recovered significantly faster than a normal human being,” the doctor replied, studying her datapad. “Intriguing.”

“Hey. Look, doc. We just need ya to fix up Gen ‘ere and send him on his way,” Jesse replied, actually tapping his index finger on the doctor’s datapad. Clearly she didn’t take too kindly to this, tilting her device away from Jesse’s hand.

“Very well. I’ve basically done all I can, you should be able to recover quickly,” Dr. O’Deorain said coldly, nodding curtly before walking out of the room. Jesse waited until she was away before speaking up again. Despite the doctor’s absence, Jesse still didn’t seem to relax. In fact, it looked as if he was more tense than before.

“Jesse? Are you all right?” Genji asked, understandably concerned.

“Gen… Jesus, I don’t know an easy way to tell ya this…” Jesse started, grimacing. “Listen, something went wrong with the OverWatch strike team. Your brother was in that team and…”

Genji sat up abruptly, his heart pounding quickly. Jesse stopped talking, knowing that Genji had already figured it out. Nonetheless, Genji refused to believe that the worst has happened.

“... What happened?” Genji asked, hoping that he was wrong. Jesse bowed his head, unable to reply, to which Genji grabbed the cowboy’s collar and pulled him in. “What happened??”

“... The Clan attacked the OverWatch strike team, except they were more successful than they were with you. The Strike Commander lost contact with Dr. Ziegler, Agent Oxton, and yer brother,” Jesse explained before holding onto Genji’s shoulders when the latter tried to get up from the medical bed. “Hold up! Ya need to let your legs rest!”

“They have my brothe r! You can’t expect me to relax!” Genji protested, struggling against Jesse’s hands.

‘Listen, Gen. The boss and the Strike Commander are already working on it,” Jesse reassured, clasping Genji’s face in his hands. “What ya need to do is let yer legs recover, because the boss’ll definitely assign ya to the rescue mission.”

While Genji was aware that he was undoubtedly going to be assigned to the strike team that’ll rescue the captive OverWatch agents, he also knew that with every passing second that Hanzo remained under the Clan’s control, Hanzo was being tortured in whatever twisted way the Clan felt necessary. Genji growled in frustration, hitting his fist against the blankets at his side. However, this fist slowly relaxed and opened up when it was enveloped by both of Jesse’s hands.

“Gen… We’re gonna get yer brother back,” Jesse promised, wrapping his fingers with Genji’s. “But yer going to need to be at yer best if ya want to do that.”

No matter what Jesse would say, Genji could not fully relax, fearing what was being done to his brother at this very second. However, for his boyfriend’s sake, Genji nodded slowly.

“Good… I gotta go see what the boss is up to. I’ll be back, ya hear?” Jesse replied, pressing his lips against the top of Genji’s hand.

“I’ll… try to be fine,” Genji said, bowing his head and massaging his temple. He paused when Jesse pecked him on the forehead and left the room without another word.

Despite the present situation, Genji brushed his fingers along his forehead where Jesse had just kissed him. So he supposed that this was now an official thing. While Genji did feel a small sort of happiness inside him, he also had fear creep in alongside it. Now that they were together, the Clan had much more to use against him. Genji thought back to his previous fight against the Clan assassin back in King’s Row, remembering how she had toyed with him. He glanced over at the scars on his shoulders where she had stabbed him. He couldn’t bear to think about Jesse suffering through similar pains.

Looking at the pile of clothes and his weapons on the counter, Genji grabbed the bundle and changed out of his hospital gown into his BlackWatch gear. While there was some throbbing in his calves from his injuries, they didn’t bother him too much. After strapping his sheathed swords tight against his body, Genji walked out of the hospital room, fixing his mask.

“You should be resting,”

Genji turned abruptly to find Jantis standing by the door with his arms crossed. He was dressed in full armor, sheathed broadsword at the ready on his hip.

“I got better,” Genji simply said, shrugging.

“I know what happened,” Jantis replied knowingly, uncrossing his arms. Genji stopped playing innocent, knowing how stupid it was to lie to his trainer.

“Do not try to stop me,” Genji snapped, shaking his head.

“I’m not here to stop you. I’m here to join you,”

“... What?”

“You’ll need backup. You can’t handle this mission alone,”

“I don’t need any help,”

“Maybe not, but it’ll make your job easier,”

“Anyone else would just-”

“-get in your way or be used against you. Genji, this is something we deal with on a daily basis. I can handle it,”

Genji bit his lip, looking around. It was a matter of time before someone returned to the room, whether it’d be Dr. O’Deorain or Jesse.

“All right,” Genji finally agreed, nodding before continuing on his way briskly down the hall.

“Any idea how you’re going to get there?”

“... I was planning on walking out of here and then catch a plane there,” Genji replied.

“You haven’t thought this through, have you?”

“Then what do you suggest? Steal an aircraft from the nearby hangar?”

Jantis’s silence was the answer he provided.

“What?? Are you serious?” Genji asked, looking over his shoulder. From what he could tell, OverWatch was already under enough scrutiny from the public. Their involvement in King’s Row was bound to add much more controversy. If word ever got out that agents were stealing from their own organization, OverWatch would lose much of what little remained of its credibility.

“It would be the fastest way there,” Jantis pointed out. Genji considered his options. There really was no time to waste, he had to get to Japan as soon as possible and if that meant stealing an OverWatch aircraft…

As they entered the hangar, Genji shook off all doubts, nodding.

“All right, all right. But how are we going to-” Genji demanded before he caught sight of an OverWatch agent that was vaguely familiar waving at them beside an aircraft with its ramp lowered. Jantis led the way, walking over to them.

“Any trouble, Mirembe?” Jantis whispered.

“None at all. Your engineer looped the cameras temporarily, so we’re good,” the OverWatch agent said, shaking her head.

“Good, because we might be a while,” Jantis acknowledged, resting his hand on her shoulder as he passed by on his way up the ramp. “Best we leave soon before they realize something’s off.”

‘All right. Be careful, Jant. You owe me a dance,” Mirembe reminded.

“I’ll do my best to come back in one piece,”

Eager to leave, Genji was already at the top of the ramp, entering the aircraft. However, seeing the exchange between Jantis and Mirembe made Genji guilty about leaving Jesse behind and not telling him. He knew that leaving Jesse in the dark was causing unnecessary worry. However, Genji promised to himself that he would no longer be afraid for Jesse’s safety after this, knowing that the Clan would be dealt with by then.

Genji was not exactly put to ease upon seeing that he and Jantis weren’t the only ones who were going on this trip.

“Hey, nice to see you again!” Bayless greeted, raising a hand.

“Agent Shimada,” Adaro said, bowing his head to him. Genji opened his mouth to protest, wondering why the hell there were even _more_ people coming with them.

“You’re worried about more people in this… But you can’t say that you can handle all of the assassins alone,” Jantis advised before lowering his voice. “With more people, we can make sure we’re thorough with eliminating the Clan.”

Realizing what Jantis was inferring, Genji nodded once. If they could eliminate all notable leaders of the Clan, they would not be able to reorganize themselves. This meant killing all the elders. They were frail, old people, so there would be no struggle at all. The only problem was getting through their bodyguards and that was what worried Genji the most. Could the others here even match up to the Clan’s warriors?

“We’re just about ready to go, mate,” the pilot exclaimed, giving a thumbs up over his shoulder and then looking over to reveal himself as Seamus. “About time we dealt with this bloody Clan, am I right?”

Genji couldn’t help but chuckle as he strapped himself down into one of the seats.

“Yes, it’s about time,”

“Everyone buckled in? Best do it now, cuz we’re not waiting any longer.. Al, if you would,” Seamus called out as he powered up the vehicle and then looked over at the co-pilot’s chair.

“No problem. This is Al-Farouk preparing to lift off for an extensive test flight,” the co-pilot reported over the comms system.

“There just was a test flight of all available aircraft two days ago. I’m not seeing anything on the records for a scheduled test flight,” the control room replied after a few seconds. “Do you have the proper authorization?”

“Uh…” Al-Farouk merely said before glancing back with an urgent look at Bayless. The blonde OverWatch agent scrambled out of his seat, running over. Genji held his breath, hoping that they could get out of here. Otherwise, they would undoubtedly be court-martialed and discharged from the organization for this rebellious act, if not jailed.

“This is Bayless. Torbjorn assigned me to check over this particular vehicle. I’ve run a ship inspection and found a lot of minor faults that all added up to something problematic. I’ve made the repairs and we’re making sure that the repairs worked,” Bayless explained.

“Those small issues being…?”

“... A faulty engine rotor, a malfunctioning HUD display, a broken muffler, and… And… a faul-faulty comm-communicati-” Bayless said, stuttering the last few words before abruptly closing the connection. “Punch it!”

The aircraft boosted forwards before it suddenly bucked to the left and dipped down.

“Shit, we forgot one docking clamp!” Seamus roared, fighting to maintain control of the ship. Jantis raised his seat restraint, drawing his sword.

“Lower the ramp!” Jantis ordered. Seamus didn’t question it, doing as the knight said. The back door slowly opened, revealing a taut black cord grounding them. Jantis’s sword glowed a hot red light before the knight swung his blade, sending out a blazing wave of flame that sliced through the cord and freed the aircraft. As the ship regained its speed and flew out of the hangar, the ramp door closed shut while Jantis moved back to his seat.

“We’re free! Next stop, Hanamura!” Seamus yelled.

Genji relaxed in his seat, relieved that they managed to get away without much difficulty. The punishment for what they had just done would come later, it was not important at the moment. What mattered right now was what they are to do once they arrive at his hometown. After all, Genji knew the area the most out of all of them here, so they were depending on him to figure out a plan. Despite the high risks that were at stake here, Genji couldn’t help but feel elated right now. It was time for the Clan to finally pay for all they’ve done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that according to the Uprising Comic, it's been implied that the Shimada Clan was dealt with prior to the Uprising incident in King's Row. 
> 
> Woops, heh heh.


	22. Chapter 22

Hanzo was abruptly woken up when something slapped against his cheek. Shaking his head in a daze, he looked up, blinking hard at the bright orange lights that hung from the ceiling. The bright lights disoriented him in his groggy state, prompting him to raise his right hand in front of his eyes. However, the light still shined on his face. Lowering his right arm, he looked down to address the hunched shape in front of him. When Hanzo was slapped again, he snarled and lunged at the shape before metal fingers dug into his shoulders and pulled him back. The shape didn’t even flinch or register Hanzo’s attempted attack. 

“How disappointing…” the blurry shape sighed, turning away and hobbling away. 

“I do not need your approval,” Hanzo snapped, attempting to pull away from the hands holding him down. He tried to raise his arms, but they were bound together and stopped dead against metal plating behind him. Hanzo’s vision slowly cleared up, blinking rapidly as he observed where he was. 

Upon sight of the Shimada symbol on the bright paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, Hanzo struggled against the grip on his shoulders. Quickly scanning his surroundings, Hanzo’s heartbeat quickened as he recognized the room as one of the meditation chambers he spent most of his training in. This was further confirmed by the scroll painting of two dueling dragons, one blue and one green, on the wall across from him. He was in the den of enemies now. Ironic, considering that he once saw this as his home not too long ago. The hunched shape turned out to be an elder, who said nothing as he stopped quite a distance away. 

“What do you want??” Hanzo demanded. Already, Hanzo felt burning hatred brewing inside him and his left arm had a tingling underneath the skin. The grips on his shoulders tightened. He took a few deep breaths to quell the beast that was threatening to break loose. He had to first assess the situation and then plan from there.

He weighed his options here. There was the warrior behind him holding him down. The scroll painting was flanked by two Clan assassins in spiked samurai armor and wearing identical dark green mempo masks, each man standing at either end of the painting. Digging his nails into his palms, Hanzo scowled malevolently at the elder’s back, failing to remain calm as the tattoos on his left arm shifted slightly. 

“I said what do you want??” Hanzo repeated. The elder shuffled over to stand in front of the young Master, leaning in to look at him in the eyes. 

“How has your training been, Master Shimada?” the elder asked. Hanzo gritted his teeth and tried to lunge again, only to be restrained once more by the guard behind him. “Ah… Disappointing. Seems that Egypt has taught you nothing.” 

The elder then nodded curtly to someone behind Hanzo. Something was held up above his head, but he could not look up due to the hand on the back of his neck. The elder said nothing, holding out his quivering hands to grab whatever was being held out to him. It was clear that the elder was not in any hurry. What would he be in a hurry for? 

The old man slowly lowered his arms to reveal that it was a sheathed katana. Despite his age and apparent frailty, the elder unsheathed the sword in one smooth motion. Hanzo’s eyes widened as he recognized the engravings on the steel blade. It was his own sword, the very sword he had used to try and kill Genji not too long ago. Hanzo’s heartbeat quickened when the katana was held before his eyes, reflecting his face on the polished blade. However, the sword was lowered as the elder walked away to look upon the scroll on the wall. 

“What is your plan?” Hanzo demanded, gritting his teeth. He was losing what little remained of his patience. He weighed his options here. The only people who could truly control his dragons were his father and Genji… That is, if the same rules applied to this red beast within him. Right now, Hanzo could not afford to wait any longer. 

Feeling the anger build up within him, he embraced it. The tattoos on his left arm waved and a red glow began to emanate from his skin. However, his anger was quickly forgotten and replaced with panic when he saw two individuals dragged into the room. He recognized them immediately by their blue uniforms. 

“Lena! Angela!” Hanzo called out, but his cries fell to deaf ears. The two of them were unconscious with their wrists bound behind them. He turned his gaze upon the elder, anger flooding in as quickly as it left. Growling, Hanzo pulled against the hands holding him back. The elder merely sighed in disappointment, shaking his head. 

“I see that you leave us little choice now,” the old man sighed, tapping the tip of the sword against the floor before looking over his shoulder and nodding to the armoured guards standing by the wall scroll. The left guard gave the elder a nod of his own before leaving the room. 

Hanzo clenched the fingers of his left hand, feeling the beast stir within him. Almost there… He was so close to summoning the red spirit, he could feel it building up inside him and yearning to burst free. The armoured samurai who left the room had returned, carrying a wooden crate. After the assassin set it down in the middle of the room and opened up the top, the elder handed the samurai Hanzo’s sword before reaching into the box to grab something. Hanzo’s curiosity delayed his rage, wondering what the elder was planning. 

“Whatever you have planned, I will not do your bidding,” Hanzo spat. The elder let out a hoarse chuckle as the old man flicked his finger to tap it against something in his other hand. In the elder’s hand was a syringe of some kind, holding a dark blue liquid in its container. Hanzo stared at the needle, his eyes widening as suspicions of the fluid’s purpose came into mind. 

“Master Shimada… Whoever said you had a real choice in this matter?” the elder chuckled before his wrinkled smile disappeared to be replaced with a stern and cold frown. “Hold him.” 

Before he could speak, Hanzo’s head was forced back, exposing his neck. He struggled against the hold on him, breathing quickly as the elder drew closer. However, the two wall scroll guards approached him, helping in restraining him. In his blind panic, he found it difficult to harness his rage, finding only fear to focus on. He could barely move with three men holding him down. All he could do was grit his teeth and close his eyes tightly as the syringe sank into the skin of his neck, injecting its contents into his body. When the needle was pulled out, Hanzo gasped and was released, collapsing onto the ground. With his arms bound, he looked up at the elder standing over him. 

“W-What did you do??” Hanzo demanded. 

“What we should have done many years ago,” the elder said cryptically. 

Hanzo managed to plant his feet on the ground, pushing off with a roar to lunge at the elder. The old man simply stepped to the side, leaving Hanzo to stumble forwards and then fall onto his side. 

“What did you do?!” Hanzo repeated before his breath caught in his throat and felt a great burning pain in his chest. His hands squirmed in their bonds and he curled his body in, something caught in his throat and preventing him from screaming. The hot pain in his chest suddenly shifted to a dreadfully cold pain, causing him to writhe on the ground and scuff his heels against the ground. However, this pain quickly faded away, leaving him hyperventilating on the ground and with a cold chill in his chest.

“H-Huh…? Hanzo?” a voice called out drowsily. “Hanzo! Hold on!” 

There was a flash of blue light through his blurred vision and shouting shortly followed. He felt hands lift him upright before he felt the rush of wind blow upon his face a few times, lights speeding past him before he was settled down, being propped up against a wall. Hanzo managed to lift his head up, though it took considerable effort in his weakened state. He saw that Lena was crouched in front of him. 

“Hanzo, are you alright?” Lena said urgently, resting her hand on Hanzo’s shoulder before reaching behind him to untie his bonds.

“They… Ange…” Hanzo managed to utter, turning his head weakly to see Angela lying down beside him. He let out a sigh of relief at the sight, resting the back of his head against the wall. “We… We have to get out of here…” 

“I know… But I don’t know the place. You do…” Lena admitted, leaning her head down to pat Hanzo’s shoulder a few times. “I managed to shake them, but it won’t take long for them to find us again.” 

“I… Wait…” Hanzo groaned, massaging the side of his head. The chill in his chest did not disappear. This was especially worrying, he thought he had been past such pains. “I… I don’t know what they did, they put something in my body…” 

“That’s not important, it was probably some kind of pain thing,” Lena dismissed, shaking her head as she perked her head towards the end of the hallway. There were raised voices from around the corner. “Time to go.” 

Hanzo barely managed to brace himself as Lena zipped them further through the building and then stopped in an empty room. He crawled over to Angela, cradling her cheek. 

“Think we lost them for now…” Lena whispered, peering out the door. She then moved back to crouch beside the pair. “I… I don’t know how she’s doing, but she seems to have healed up.” 

“We’re still not safe…” Hanzo grunted as he tried to stand up before his knees buckled and he fell back down. 

“Hey, hold on! Take it easy….” 

“We need to… find a way out of here…”

When he collapsed onto the ground from that attempt, he couldn’t stand back up again, his knees suddenly growing weak. Lena rested one hand on his chest and the other on his back as she propped him back against the wall.

“Hanzo, can you stay here and guard the doc while I scout around?” Lena asked, laying one of her pistols on his lap. Hanzo’s hand hesitated over the handle before his gaze fell upon Angela and he took the weapon without further hesitation, resting his finger over the trigger. 

“I’ll do my best,” he promised, nodding. Lena gave him a small, relieved smile before she zoomed out of the room. Finding himself short of breath, Hanzo pointed the pistol given to him at the door, listening intently for any footsteps. However, the coldness began to spread along his body, prompting him to shiver a little in response. 

‘ _ Kill them,’  _

Hanzo snapped his pistol around the room, searching for the source of the voice. He became confused upon seeing that he was still alone in the room with Angela lying beside him. He shook his head slightly, blinking hard several times. 

‘ _ Kill them, _ ’ 

The voice came again and Hanzo felt a flash of freezing pain suddenly flare up from his neck, causing him to clutch at it his left hand. The voice kept calling out to him these two words incessantly and he pressed the heel of his hand against his temple, smacking against it to attempt to drown out the voice. The hand holding the pistol started shaking as the pain raised in magnitude. He was momentarily distracted when Lena came sliding in, patting Hanzo urgently on the shoulder. 

“Come on, I found a way out! Let’s move!” Lena whispered, taking her pistol when Hanzo offered it back to her. 

While Lena was in too much of a hurry to notice, Hanzo held his shaking hand in front of him, looking upon it as his vision slowly blurred. Was he going insane? He swore that his skin was turning into a slightly bluer tinge than normal. What did that elder inject into him? Breathing quickly, Hanzo suddenly clutched at his chest, a stabbing pain piercing through his body. 

Turning his head weakly, he focused on Angela’s face, attempting to ignore the insistent pair of words echoing repeatedly in his head. Hanzo remembered her laugh. It was airy and almost melodic; at least it was to him. Back when he was making sense of his feelings towards her, her bright smile struck him speechless. And her lips… He remembered when they hovered so close to his own, yet they had never met. The young master fought against this voice, refusing to do the Clan’s bidding.

Then a sharp cold pain stabbed into his chest and seemingly out of his own accord, Hanzo clenched his right fist, the panel to his arrow wheel opening up. 

‘ _ Kill them,’ _

* * *

 

Lena glanced over her shoulder upon hearing the panel disengage its lock before gasping as something pierced her chronal accelerator and into her body. As she fell onto her back, she looked down to see a single arrow shaft sticking out of her chest as the chronal accelerator device sparked and slowly powered down. Starting to panic a little, she glanced up, hyperventilating as she gazed upon the culprit of the attack. 

“H-Hanzo?” she stammered. Except it didn’t seem like Hanzo. His eyes were now bloodshot, his skin slowly shifting to a purplish-blue tinge as he stood over her, looking down at her with a cold stare. While lying on the ground and raising her hand to prepare to rewind time, she coughed out as Hanzo grinded the heel of his boot against the chestpiece. 

In blind desperation, she raised both her pistols. While Hanzo managed to stomp one hand down, she let out a flurry of shots with the other gun, which were blocked when he raised his robot arm in front of his face. Lena looked down to her horror to see her body start to flicker in and out of sight. 

“Fade away, little ghost,” Hanzo said solemnly, raising his foot from her chest and then walking towards Angela. Lena’s body started to blink in and out of existence, gradually turning her transparent. She had mere seconds left before she disappeared. 

Lena zoomed forwards, shoving past Hanzo and grabbing onto Angela’s shoulders before blinking out of the room. She was well aware that each blink only hastened her disappearance, but she still pressed on through the building, remembering the path she had planned on showing Hanzo. However, Lena suddenly stumbled and tripped, falling on her front with Angela rolling a bit further down the hall. When she reached forwards to grab Angela’s hand, her fingers phased through.

“Oh no…” Lena murmured, dreading that she couldn’t even get them out of the building. 

Even worse was that she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching from up ahead. Even with time at her control, she couldn’t even buy them a minute more. Lena gritted her teeth and pounded her disappearing fist into the ground before looking at Angela, who was still lying unconscious on the ground. In her final seconds, she regretted not even trying to help Hanzo snap out of whatever control he was under. She thought of all of her friends back in OverWatch and tried to reach for her comms device, only to have her fingers find nothing. She couldn’t even get the pleasure of saying goodbye. While this has happened before, the circumstances of which it was happening could not have been more badly timed. Hanzo was under some kind of mind control and Angela was about to die. And who knew how many others would die while Lena was gone during this time flux? Lena lowered her head, tears starting to pool at the corners of her eyes. 

“I’m sorry…” Lena whispered as she flickered away into nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to apologize to everyone who's been waiting for an update for nearly a year, but here is a new chapter! Hope it doesn't disappoint, haha!


End file.
